Female combat soldiers tank crew in Israel (Source: i24News)
Courage Beyond Their Years: The All-Women Tank Crew Who Battled the Terrorists
Randy Pinsky
The news made headlines: an all-women tank crew was the first on the scene in the attack of October 7, eliminating terrorists, reinforcing the breach in the security fence, and saving dozens of kibbutzim. Though still in training, adrenaline took over and they learned on the task while racing from the Egyptian border where they were stationed. Beyond their acts of extreme heroism, it confirmed without a doubt that women soldiers could fight in combat roles, and exceptionally well at that. Israel has a long history of women soldiers, many in top command positions, and the conflict provoked new understandings - on many levels.
Women in the Army: from the Start
While many Western countries have gradually integrated women into the military over time, in Israel, they have been involved in protecting and defending the state and its citizens since the beginning. Both out of necessity and in support of its egalitarian policies, Israel is one of the few countries in which military service is compulsory for both men and women. 34% of those in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are female, including 51% of all other currently serving officers in the navy, ground and air forces, with the numbers climbing exponentially.
In fact, Manya Shochat, (see "Once Forgotten But Always a Legend Israeli Pioneer"), one of the founders of the kibbutz movement, believed that women could play just as critical a role in defending the country as their male counterparts. This sentiment was echoed by first prime minister David Ben-Gurion, who stated, “The highest level of equality is equal obligation, and the highest level of obligation is defense.”
He continued, “the security of the State must be pursued night and day…that security will not exist if our nation’s women do not know how to fight.”
The ‘People’s Army’
In early photographs documenting the development of Israel, it was a common sight to see women guarding the kibbutzim or lying flat on the ground, shouldering guns. Side by side, men and women played a vital role in the struggle for independence, with the CHEN - Chayil Nashim (“Women Soldiers') corps founded on May 16, 1948.
From the early years of the Hashomer and Haganah paramilitary forces, women served as clerks, trainers, drivers, radio operators, dog trainers, flight controllers and course instructors. In fact, the Haganah’s official document states that it was open to “every Jewish male or female who is prepared and trained to fulfill the obligation of national defense.”
Since the 1940s, women have filled positions in security, weapons transport, and have (wo)manned anti-aircrafts posts. In fact, foreign militaries have sought to learn from the IDF in regards to gender integration and its high representation of women, particularly in command roles.
While the traditional gendered divisions of labor are women on the homefront and the men on the frontlines, restrictions have been lifted over time.
The critical watershed to the opening of more military units to women, previously barred from combat roles, was the trial of Alice Miller in 1995. A keen soldier with a dream to fly, she took the military to the Supreme Court for rejecting her as a candidate in Israel’s prestigious flight pilot school solely on gender grounds. Her win was a landmark deal in opening more opportunities for women soldiers.
Based on Ability, Not Gender
By the early 2000s, military policy and selection became more about ability, rather than gender. The 33rd Caracal Battalion became the first mixed-gender infantry combat union to be launched.
The number of women in various units rose dramatically; in 2012, 600 joined co-ed combat battalions, with the number more than doubling the following year. Placements were based more on the principle of “the right person in the right place” rather than gender considerations.
In 2020, a daring tank training pilot project was launched, “to assess the feasibility of female armored crews.” It was deemed a success two years later. The Merkava lV company defends Israel’s southern border with Egypt; a battalion that would prove vital on the fateful day of October 7.
Critics
The integration of women in combat roles has not been without its controversy, however. There has historically been the inevitable clash between women in the service and Orthodox religious men, with some rabbis (most notably, Meir Kahane) subsequently discouraging men from enlisting. Such statements have been roundly condemned by members of Israel’s leadership such as former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
Others fear that this is a “dangerous social experiment” that could place national security at risk, particularly with claims of lowered physical and fitness baseline tests. In spite of demonstrating their skills and abilities, The Jerusalem Post found that “less than 50% of Israeli men believe women are capable of being combat soldiers.”
In response to former Defence Minister Benny Gantz’s opposition to full gender integration, Lieutenant Colonel Erez Shabtay, commander of the Caracal battalion, responded: “I have no question about the ability of women to be combat fighters…I’ll take you to see a live-fire combat exercise with explosions and tanks…our soldiers, under fire, d[o] their job amazingly.”
The Tank Female Fighters Who Defeated the Hamas Terrorists
Their names are Hagar, Hila, Tal-Sarah, Michal, Chani, Ophir and Tamar - all 20 year old female soldiers who braved all odds and made history on October 7. Any doubts that women could take on active combat roles were dismissed that day in an astonishing display of courage and resilience.
Upon receiving the red code alert, the only all-female frontline unit of the IDF guarding the Egyptian border bundled into tanks on standby and raced to the kibbutzim in crisis. “We all knew our mission,” recalled one; “to defend the civilians.”
Still vague on the scope of the attack, it was only when they saw the swarming terrorists in the civilian regions that they realized that the country was at war.
Although it normally takes months of instruction to properly operate the tanks, adrenaline took over. “You need to have special training and none of us had that,” shared one of the women soldiers in an interview with StandWithUs. “In about ten minutes, we became experts in the system.” According to The New York Sun, they had to “learn and improvise under fire.”
With lightning decisiveness, they raced along the highway, eliminating the terrorists encountered and securing the breach in the security fence. They became the first female tank fighters in the world to fight in a conflict. For seventeen hours, this was “a battle that will go down in history.”
According to Sergeant Tal-Sarah, the terrorists had no idea they were fighting against women soldiers. “It’s not as if they saw Michal’s hair blowing in the wind under her Gentex [helmet]. We had a job to do and we did it.” Due to their efforts, further attacks in the south were thwarted.
A Historical Moment for Women in Combat Roles
The New York Sun called it “[a] story…that combines both personal bravery and the shattering of glass ceiling in the Israeli military.”
In reflecting on the terrifying ordeal, one soldier shrugged, “There is no room for fear. You think of the people depending on you. We were the buffer between the terrorists and the civilians.” Another concurred, “I feel like this is what I was trained [for]- my brain and my hands knew [exactly] what to do.”
Since October 7, female soldiers have been directly engaged in the war against Hamas. The all-female unit of ‘guardian angels’ of the Golani’s 13th Battalion operate the Sky Rider drone unit monitoring the areas and providing critical intelligence on real-time combat. Beyond observing and keeping a close watch on the war zone, they dispatch reinforcements and call in artillery strikes and helicopters as required; an enormous responsibility.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halvi shared, “in recent years, there has been a debate in Israel about whether women should serve in combat units…I think that in this case we received an answer without words, an answer through action and struggle.”
Israel’s “Eyes on the Border”
Beyond this heroic rescue, October 7th was shadowed by another, very concerning setback for women in the IDF.
Israel’s borders are guarded by tatzpitaniyot or spotters, part of the Border Defense Corps who keep a careful watch for potential terrorist or ambush attempts, weapons or drug smuggling. As observers, they provide critical advance warning for foiling nefarious plans. They are the ones who will make a judgment call for calling in combat forces, and they have prevented numerous efforts to breach Israel’s borders.
As stated by Retired IDF Major General Eitan Dangot, they play a critical role in “pushing the button that says something is wrong”, with the expectation that it is followed up by senior officials.
Sexism Has Deadly Consequences
In the months prior to the massacre, the all-women team of tatzpitaniyot over the Gaza border reported unusual activity, drills and intelligence gathering near the fence (what was later found to be scenarios, practice raids and attacks on model tanks, even mock hostage-taking). They suspected something was being planned and alerted the authorities, expressing the urgency of such concerning signs.
For reasons many suspect as mere sexism, their alerts were dismissed by senior officials.
In “The Women Soldiers Who Warned of a Pending Hamas Attack- and Were Ignored”, a Ha’aretz article noted that the observers were convinced that if men had been the ones to sound the alarm, the massacre could have been prevented. This intelligence crisis is one of many problematic situations in the conflict and demonstrates there is still much work to be done.
Lessons
The war has proven that women are willing and able to engage in combat roles and have the razor-sharp reflexes needed for decisive and critical actions. According to Ofra Ash, director of the Forum D'vorah nonprofit which advocates for women’s participation in Israel's security forces, “We have always believed in women, their ability to fight, and their ability to be combat commanders. It is unfortunate that we needed a war to prove this, for everyone to see.”
As expressed by Colonel Moran Omer, commander of the tank training unit, “Today, you are the first female tank operators in the border defense array. Always remember that as advanced as it is, it’s not the weapons that matter, but the person in the tank.”
