{"id":475945,"date":"2026-06-04T13:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/475945\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:32:17","slug":"in-first-female-idf-combat-soldier-completes-training-for-elite-sayeret-matkal-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/475945\/","title":{"rendered":"In first, female IDF combat soldier completes training for elite Sayeret Matkal unit"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time, a female combat soldier completed training in the Israeli military\u2019s elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The pilot program for women to serve in Sayeret Matkal began in December 2024 as part of the IDF\u2019s efforts to open more roles for female fighters.<\/p>\n

One servicewoman passed preliminary screenings and \u201cmet the required criteria,\u201d completing on Thursday a \u201ctraining track specifically designed for her, which lasted more than a year and a half,\u201d the IDF said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The soldier would soon be integrated into the unit\u2019s operational activities, in accordance with \u201coperational needs\u201d and subject to the IDF\u2019s protocols on men and women serving together, the military said.<\/p>\n

The IDF said it \u201ccongratulates the soldier on her significant and groundbreaking achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The army has insisted that it is allowing more women to serve in combat positions out of practical considerations, not due to a progressive social agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time, maximizing the service potential of male and female soldiers from all sectors and populations is an imperative, and the IDF will continue to work toward this goal,\u201d the military added.<\/p>\n

Sayeret Matkal, known in English as the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, is one of the IDF\u2019s elite commando units. It operates under the Military Intelligence Directorate\u2019s Special Operations Division. Much of the unit\u2019s activities remain a secret.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIllustrative: Female soldiers with the IDF Artillery Corps are seen on the border of the Gaza Strip, December 8, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Women already serve in a variety of combat roles in the IDF, in many cases alongside male counterparts.<\/p>\n

In December, the IDF deemed a pilot program integrating female recruits into the Combat Engineering Corps\u2019 elite Yahalom<\/a> unit a success, paving the way for women combat engineers to become a permanent role in the military.<\/p>\n

The military is also in the midst of running a pilot program for female troops to serve in the Israeli Air Force\u2019s elite search and rescue Unit 669, but has delayed\u00a0<\/a>a planned pilot program for female soldiers to serve in the Armored Corps.<\/p>\n

Critics of gender integration in the military often decry it as a dangerous experiment with potential ramifications for national security, while defenders hail it as a long-needed measure that puts Israel on par with other Western countries.<\/p>\n

Detractors note that some requirements for female combat soldiers have been lowered \u2014 which they say is a sign that effectiveness is being sacrificed \u2014 and that servicewomen suffer stress injuries at a higher rate.<\/p>\n

Women soldiers were directly involved in battles to defend against Hamas\u2019s October 7 onslaught, including an\u00a0all-female tank company that fought for hours<\/a>, killing dozens of terrorists along the border and in communities attacked by the terror group.<\/p>\n

The heroic and effective conduct of female combat soldiers during the attacks seems to have significantly boosted the argument for further integration into combat roles, as well as\u00a0high turnout<\/a>\u00a0among female draftees.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFemale soldiers operate a tank in the Negev Desert, in an undated photograph. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

According to IDF data from 2025, some 8,500 female soldiers served in combat roles during their mandatory service, an increase of nearly 240 percent compared to 2015. In 2025, women made up 21.2% of mandatory service combat troops.<\/p>\n

The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.<\/p>\n

Legislation being laid out in the Knesset would continue to grant military service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students \u2014 some 80,000 of whom are currently eligible for military service \u2014 while ostensibly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions.<\/p>\n


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