Meet the Women of the IDF: How They Defend Israel with Unmatched Courage

On August 26, 2025, International Women’s Equality Day highlights the remarkable contributions of women in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where mandatory conscription since 1948 has placed women alongside men in defending Israel. From the War of Independence, when women served as nurses and instructors, to modern combat roles, their journey reflects resilience and equality. By the 1980s, women took on roles like combat instructors and technicians. A pivotal moment came in 1994 when Alice Miller, a South African immigrant, challenged gender barriers, leading to a 2000 High Court ruling granting women full equality in military service. This opened roles like Air Force pilots, with Sheri Rahat becoming the first female F-16 navigator in 1998 and Roni Zuckerman the first female combat pilot in 2001.

Today, women constitute 60% of mixed-gender battalions, such as the Caracal Company, formed in 2004 under the Nahal Brigade, patrolling Israel’s borders with Egypt and Jordan against smugglers and terrorists. Women in the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue unit were critical during the 12-day Rising Lion operation in 2024, rescuing civilians under missile fire. Private S.W., a lone soldier from the U.S., shared, “It’s not something that happens in any other country. I put on my uniform and can say that as a 20-year-old woman, I dedicate my life to saving people, people that rely on me to protect them.”

In the Oketz K-9 unit, women handle combat and rescue missions, entering Gaza and Lebanon to extract terrorists. Sergeant Major T.F., a former American-Israeli Oketz soldier, said, “The feeling of marching with the same weight, at the same pace with some of the strongest men in the IDF is extremely empowering. You uphold the reputation of female combat soldiers in the army and in doing so honor all of those before you who fought to make that equality possible.”

Since 2024, women in the elite Yahalom unit undergo 18-month training for counterterrorism and explosives, executing missions in Gaza. First Sergeant L., an airborne mechanic in Squadron 123, stated, “Knowing that future female recruits have a variety of roles that weren’t open to me, and generations before, gives me confidence that we will continue to give women a place in the forefront as they deserve.” She advised young women, “Don’t let the voices around you become a barrier and prevent you from achieving what I know you’re capable of doing.” With over 40% of IDF conscripts now women, per 2024 data, their courage echoes Ben Gurion’s words: “Security will not exist if our nation’s women do not know how to fight.”

Note from JFeed Editor who served as an IDF lone soldier: "It was a privilege to serve in an army that values equal service and contribution in the military sector between men and women. As a female IDF soldier, I witnessed first-hand the impact female soldiers had on the IDF and Israel’s security as a whole, whether as a combat soldier, intelligence officer, or an instructor like me. Army service brings us together with the one ultimate goal and sacrifice to put all else aside and serve our country to protect its people."