Female IDF trailblazers mark historic achievements in defense

 For full article go to  https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830063

On a chilly morning earlier this week, a team of female IDF soldiers gathered their gear and prepared to embark on a mission into southern Lebanon. Among them was Cpl. Tehila, 21, who adjusted her pack—laden with equipment that weighed nearly half her body weight—and exchanged determined glances with her comrades. For the first time in Israel’s history, women combat soldiers were about to cross the border into enemy territory. Their task was as monumental as it was dangerous: to gather intelligence, pinpoint Hezbollah positions, and direct fire to protect Israel’s northern communities.

Such scenes are becoming more common in the IDF, where women are not just breaking barriers but leading in roles traditionally dominated by men. Israel’s military has consistently demonstrated its commitment to equality, offering women meaningful opportunities to serve and contribute, even in combat positions. In a region dominated by radical ideologies that suppress women’s rights, the IDF’s pioneering approach sets it apart—not just from its neighbors but from many Western democracies.

This week, two groundbreaking events underscored the IDF’s leadership in empowering women. The first was the announcement of Israel’s first religious women-only combat unit, to be deployed within the Combat Intelligence Corps. As reported by The Jerusalem Post, this initiative addresses the surge of religious women eager to serve in the IDF, including 350 who joined combat roles in the aftermath of October 7.

We are witnessing a rise in the number of religious women eager to join in defending Israel in this existential war. For 18-year-old recruit Rina Mays from Ramat Beit Shemesh, this opportunity represents both a personal and collective mission: “I’ve always dreamed of contributing to my country in a meaningful way... this unit felt like the right path for me.”

In another momentous achievement  female combat soldiers from the Ayit Battalion carried out an operational mission in southern Lebanon, marking the first time women had participated in such an endeavor. Their work involved intelligence gathering, pinpointing anti-tank missile sites, and guiding fire against Hezbollah positions, showcasing their operational effectiveness in high-stakes scenarios.

Dismantling sexist notions

Cpl. Shani, 20, described the mission’s challenges: “We walked about 1.5 kilometers into Lebanon, established a position in the field, maintained camouflage, and began intelligence collection. Operationally, we entered areas untouched by Israeli forces since the Second Lebanon War.” These missions not only reaffirm the IDF’s trust in its female soldiers but also dismantle outdated notions about women’s roles in the military.

While many Western nations celebrate symbolic strides in gender equality, Israel delivers measurable results. Female soldiers are actively shaping Israel’s defense strategies, often in some of the most dangerous arenas.

This commitment is particularly striking in a region where many societies deny women basic rights, let alone the opportunity to serve in their country’s defense. Israel’s example highlights the values it shares with other Western democracies: equality, freedom, and opportunity. Yet, these achievements are often overlooked or misunderstood by the international community.

The world should recognize Israel’s unique position as a Western democracy in a challenging region and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of its female soldiers. By empowering women in its military, Israel continues to lead the way in demonstrating that equality and strength go hand in hand. 

Ceasefire with Lebanon?

 The emerging ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist organization includes the following principles, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom has learned:

Hezbollah will withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and will not renew its military presence in the area between the Litani and the Israel-Lebanon border.

 The Israel Defense Forces will pull back from Hezbollah’s current first line of positions in Lebanon, returning to the international border. The Lebanese army will dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure in the area between the border and the Litani within 60 days of signing the agreement.

 The agreement will include international guarantees from the United States and Russia to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. As part of this framework, Syria will be responsible for stopping any weapons transfers from its territory to Lebanon, in contrast to the situation that prevailed in the years before the war.

In any instance of a violation of the agreement—whether by Hezbollah’s rearming or military actions against Israel or Israelis—the IDF will have the right to act in response, with international backing.

Israel Hayom has also learned that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will depart for Russia, as previously reported by Army Radio, and then to the United States to finalize the remaining details of the agreement. Among other meetings, he is expected to meet with President-elect Donald Trump.

Last night, a senior government official confirmed to Israel Hayom that substantial progress had been made in diplomatic negotiations on the northern front.

Noa Tishby - Progrom in Amsterdam

 

Arab-Israeli soccer fan spoke Arabic to violent mob, saved Jewish fans

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Druze Israeli said he spoke Arabic to Muslim attackers and warned Jewish Israelis during a violent anti-Israel riot that broke out after a soccer game in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Melhem Asad, from Kisra-Sumei, a Druze town in Israel, described how Dutch security guarded Israelis on their way to the Ajax-Maccabi game in Amsterdam. Still, the security situation fell apart at the conclusion of the game.

Asad told Channel 12, “We felt very safe, but at the end of the game the situation changed completely.”

“The fans were simply abandoned, we all got on the trains and headed for the hotels, and the local police just messed up, big time. They didn’t secure us, they didn’t watch over us, we felt very exposed,” he said.

Asad heard a group of people speaking in Arabic about their plans to attack Israelis, and that is when he realized he could use the fact that he spoke Arabic to confuse their plans.

He said, “I heard people from across the street talking in Arabic and planning on how and where to attack the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. I took advantage of the fact that I spoke Arabic and shouted at them. They thought I was one of them.

Asad continued, “I told them that the Jews were no longer here, that they had fled. I did everything to confuse them; I knew exactly where our fans were, and it worked. I convinced them to go in the other direction.”

After Asad had confused some of the mob’s plans, he ran to warn the Israelis. He recounts, “I ran towards groups of Israelis and warned them that people were trying to harm us.”

Asad told them to take them off their Maccabi shirts after he heard members of the mob saying they would attack anyone wearing a Maccabi shirt. He ran into bars and restaurants to warn Israelis.

“My goal was to save everyone possible; I saw the amount of hatred and the number of people. I started running between bars, restaurants, alleys, wherever I knew the fans were passing on the way back from the game,” Asad said.

He said that the incident in Amsterdam made him think of October 7th and the hatred of Hamas terrorists who attacked Israelis.

“My heart burned at that moment. Unfortunately, I could not save everyone, but I tried to warn as many Israelis as possible. I feel that God sent me at the right moment and in the right place to save those who can.”

One Kibbutz on Gaza Border Starts to Rebuild Lives

 

This kibbutz on the Gaza border shows hope, energy and resilience
at its best as the residents of Nirim start rebuilding their lives

Life on the Border - Haifa where it is not at all normal

 (From my friend in Haifa,  Forest Rain Marcia - Life on the Border)

Here’s a tiny snippet of Israeli reality that is not at all normal –

Today I am at home, working on my computer. As I work, the alerts of sirens elsewhere beep on my phone. Every beep a siren screaming at other Israelis to run for their lives.

I saw the pattern of the alerts and it was obvious that they were getting closer to my location. I thought to myself, “maybe I should get up and go pee before the sirens go off and I have to run for the shelter.”

I didn’t get up – and the sirens went off. I grabbed my phone, keys and ran down to the shelter.

The other neighbors who were at home came down too. The young parents worried about their baby in his daycare (elsewhere in Haifa). The young woman with her two little dogs. Other neighbors.

Then a stranger came running in, panting. She left her care in the middle of the road and wasn’t sure where to go for shelter. We calmed her down and told her to just focus on catching her breath. It’s better to worry about her car being in other people’s way than to go out to early and risk shrapnel.

We waited our 10 minutes, according to safety guidelines and everyone went back to what they were doing before.

And that was better than yesterday –

I was on the highway, in the center of Israel when the sirens went off. We were in the left lane and had to get to the right side of the road where there was a bit of a shoulder. The concept is to get as far away from the cars as possible and, if there is no shelter, to lie flat, as low as possible and pray that any shrapnel flies over your head and doesn’t pierce your body.

Just getting to the side of the road wasn’t easy. Some people, in panic, kept on driving and could have easily hit anyone crossing the highway. We managed it, climbed over the rail and discovered there was a ditch to lie in – better than nothing and certainly better than being on the same level as the cars. When there is a blast car windows can shatter and become piercing shrapnel

We found ourselves in the ditch with a mixture of other people. Those who haven’t seen the results of missile impact are less careful about following safety guidelines than those of us who have. It's important to lie down, not just kneel and to get as far away as possible from anything that can turn into shrapnel.

 

There was a young woman, perhaps 17 who was on the phone with her dad so he could tell her what to do. She was worried about leaving the car and didn’t know how to protect herself. We showed her how to lie down and explained why and then took pictures so she could show her dad that she implemented what he was trying to explain on the phone. A young mother was holding a little girl, perhaps 10, trying to pretend that everything was normal. People were going back to their cars too quickly so I reinforced what the mother was doing, telling the little girl that her mom was right, that it’s important to wait the full 10 minutes and that she was very brave. She told us her name and smiled. The mother who had a harder time smiling, told us that it was the second time in the same day they were having that experience.

The booms from the interceptions were very loud. Very close. They make little puff clouds in the sky that are not at all cute when you know that they are death interrupted.

At night we heard the news that a young man was killed by shrapnel when he got out of his car to lie down in a field, according to instructions. He was alone and the missile was too close, the shrapnel hit the wrong way and there was no one there to provide emergency care.

This is our reality and it’s not at all normal.

One Gazan Citizen, Two Jobs!

(With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)