What are Israel’s mixed-gender units? What’s their role in Israel-Hamas war?

Israel continues its ground offensive in Gaza, raiding hospitals and attacking schools. It is now increasing the military action in the southern part of the enclave as the Israel-Hamas war has entered Day 45. Israel’s military has said that its mixed-gender battalion of combat and rescue fighters is fighting in the Gaza Strip. A mixed force, comprising men and women, from the “Shahar” Battalion in the Rescue and Training Brigade of the Home Front Command joined the ground forces’ activity in Gaza, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) . We take a look at what are the capabilities of the Israeli army’s mixed-gender battalions and their role in the war. Also read: In graphics | What is Israel’s military strength? What weapons does it use? What are IDF’s mixed-gender battalions? Women have been part of the Israeli forces since the War of Independence in 1948. When the IDF was first formed, it recruited combat soldiers regardless of gender. Following the war, no women were allowed to serve in combat positions until the 1990s. However, this changed again in 1994 when the High Court of Justice ruled that combat roles should be open to women soldiers, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. In 2000, the Equality Amendment to the Defense Service Law stated that the right of women to serve in any role in the IDF is equal to the right of men. The mixed-gender units of the IDF made up of men and women combat soldiers were formed much later. Now Israeli military has at least five such battalions which have been on the rise since 2018. The Caracal Battalion, the Baradalas (cheetah), and the Lions of Jordan Valley are some of the units with male and female soldiers. The Caracal is named after a small cat whose sexes appear the same. It is one of the oldest coed units and was established in 2004. Two-thirds of its members are women, according to the IDF. It is tasked with protecting the country’s borders. [caption id=“attachment_13408972” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Women soldiers of the Caracel battalion take part in a training session in 2007. Image courtesy: Flickr[/caption] The mixed-gender Bardalas battalion was formed in 2015, with men and women in equal numbers, and was deployed along the border with Jordan. The Shahar (Dawn) Battalion is tasked with assisting civilians during wartime and disaster. Last September, the IDF appointed for the first time appointed a woman officer to command the search-and-rescue unit. In November last year, IDF announced the formation of a new co-ed infantry battalion. The 49th Battalion, named Panther, is part of the Border Defense Corps and is stationed along the West Bank security barrier. What do we know about coed unit fighting in Gaza? The mixed unit is part of the IDF Home Front Command’s search-and-rescue. It is operating in the Gaza Strip for the first time, according to the military. The troops belonging to the 498th “Shahar” Search and Rescue Battalion have joined the ground forces in the offensive against Hamas. They are led by Lt Col Yarden, who is also a woman, and whose last name is withheld for security concerns, reports Times of Israel. They have been operating in Gaza City’s Shati Camp. According to Col Elad Edri, the commander of the search and rescue brigade, dozens of soldiers from the mixed unit are operating in the enclave and around 40 per cent are women. “They do all the tasks that the men do,” he said.

History: For the first time, an @IDF search and rescue team comprised of male and female soldiers is operating in Gaza.

The "Shahar" Battalion lead by
Lt. Col. Yarden, joined ground forces with the 460th Brigade in an operation against Hamas in the Shati camp.

Watch: pic.twitter.com/KIvThlXiZI

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 19, 2023

The mixed-gender battalion has been carrying out tasks according to their expertise, says the IDF. This includes searching for Hamas weaponry. They have also been fighting alongside other troops, aiding them by breaching buildings to make quicker progress to the camp, The Times of Israel reports. “We have tools that the troops don’t have,” Yarden is quoted as saying. What other ops has the mixed unit been involved in? The Caracal unit sprung into action after the 7 October Hamas terrorist assault. Caracal commander Lt Col Or Ben-Yehuda told Jerusalem Post that her battalion, which is made up of mostly women, killed around 100 Hamas terrorists during the attacks. Ben-Yehuda said she received a message reporting an infiltration of heavily armed militants near the kibbutz of Sufa and Nirim. Combat between the battalion and the militants lasted nearly four hours, she said. It took the Caracal battalion about 14 hours to secure the base alongside other units, the report said. The Shahar Battalion has been operating in the West Bank, arresting wanted Palestinians and seizing weapons. The IDF claimed that in August 2022 it foiled at least five terror attacks. In the fight against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, the unit was stationed in the Israeli city of Sedrot to help locals amid rocket attacks, reports The Times of Israel. Shahar is part of the Home Front Command that carries out search-and-rescue missions along with patrols and operational duty in the West Bank. The mixed-gender light infantry Bardelas and Caracal battalions have been deployed on the border with Egypt. The Lions of Jordan Valley focuses on the northern Jordan Valley on the eastern border of Israel. Its mission is to protect the border from hostile terrorist activity and smuggling. In February this year, the coed battalion raided a West Bank refugee camp and reportedly killed Hamas terrorists and members of a terror cell. Despite their achievements, the coed units have been criticised by rabbis, former commanders, and conservative voices in the country. [caption id=“attachment_13408982” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Soldiers of the Lions of Jordan Valley Battalion during an operation. Image courtesy: IDF[/caption] Why are coed units criticised in Israel? In the past, former military commanders have said that they fear that women fighters’ lesser physical strength compared with men will reduce the army’s effectiveness. Some rabbis from the Religious Zionist movement said that it would be impossible in mixed-gender units to maintain traditional notions of modesty appropriate for Orthodox soldiers, according to a report in Christian Monitor. In June, controversy erupted after an Egyptian police officer killed three troops of the Bardelas and Caracal battalions on the border. One of them was a woman. [caption id=“attachment_13409002” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Troops of the Caracal Battalion, which is one of the oldest mixed-gender units of the IDF. Image courtesy: IDF[/caption] Right-wing media personalities and politicians criticised the mixed-gender arrangement, even alluding to impropriety on the part of soldiers, according to a report by The Times of Israel. A correspondent at Israel’s right-wing Channel 14 said on air that “putting a male combat soldier and a female combat soldier alone for 12 hours at night… is problematic.” Back then, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant defended the mixed-gender units and women soldiers. “Female and male IDF combat soldiers are one and the same. There is no such thing as a [difference] between men and women in my view,” he said. “We have entire formations in the IDF in which women carry out a central role in border defence. Female commanders make daily decisions about thwarting terrorists,” he said, adding that his daughter served in the Caracal unit. With inputs from agencies