Two Israeli women to enter elite Air Force unit training

IDF women are hitting new combat draft unit highs, according to November-December data issued on Wednesday.

The number of female draftees seeking combat positions in the shadow of the Gaza War is breaking every pre-war goal.

Regarding female draftees participation, border patrol units are at 116%, battle-related intelligence collection is at 133%, artillery is at 132%, air defense is at 101%, rescue units are at 122% and border police is at 119%.

An additional 12% of women draftees requested to serve in combat units since the start of the war. 

In addition, two women passed the initial vetting process for the elite air force Search and Rescue Unit 669.

After undergoing security clearance and medical evaluations, they will start a 20-month-long elite training course to join the unit's combat ranks.

Just getting to the point where women can be considered for such a unit has been a long and winding road.

A petition to the High Court of Justice filed a few years ago helped pressure the IDF High Command into opening some new combat units to women.

These included the Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit and mobile deployment units in the Infantry Corps this past summer. That women would be able to compete for spots in the IAF’s 669 Search and Rescue Unit was announced in October 2022 and only came to fruition in January of this year.

Still a way to go?

Some groups still view this progress as inadequate. 

They note that there are other militaries in which women are already allowed to serve in all elite combat units. 

Still, there is no question that the recent trend has led to the integration of more women into units in which they previously could not serve.