Thousands of recruits join IDF combat units this summer

The main recruitment period for the IDF's combat units, during which thousands of young men and women will join the ranks and begin their basic training, has begun in July and will continue until September.

Of the new recruits, 57.6% are men, while 42.4% of the new combat soldiers will be women.

Not all of the new recruits are 18-year-old recent high school graduates, however. While the average age of the recruits is 18.9 years, the ages vary from the youngest recruit, who is 17 years and 7 months old, to the oldest who is 30 years and 10 months old.

Almost 500 of the new soldiers are recent immigrants (olim hadashim). 478 soldiers are olim, 313 of them men, and 165 are women.

Russia is the country of origin of the most immigrant soldiers

471 soldiers are lone soldiers, who came to Israel to serve in the IDF and do not have family in the country.

The top five countries of origin of the immigrant soldiers are Russia, the US, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and France. Among countries from which only one soldier immigrated are Estonia, South Korea, Greece, Martinique, Paraguay, Congo, and Romania.

The new soldiers born Israeli are coming from across Israel, from the northern town of Metulla, where four of the recruits are from, to the southern town of Eilat, which sent 182 new soldiers.

The IDF also announced that starting on July 30, the combat intelligence corps will receive red combat boots, a new pin, and a spotted camouflage beret.

The new pin was specially designed after years when the corps had no military pin. The new beret will replace the traditional desert-colored beret.

The change is being made out of a desire to increase military pride based on a cohesive identity while also strengthening the ties between the formations within the corps, according to the IDF.