Enlistment soars in IDF combat units since beginning of Gaza war

More young Israelis are enlisting for combat units since the war in Gaza against Hamas terrorists began in October, especially for the Armored Corps Division.

For the IDF's upcoming March 2024 draft, the tank unit, and specifically the Armored Corps, which is responsible for eliminating terrorists in ground operations, has received hundreds of applications from prospective conscripts. The Armored Corps has not traditionally not been sought after in such high numbers, however, because of the immense demand, for the first-time ever, the IDF Personnel Directorate will allow 18-year-old would-be Israeli soldiers to defer their draft date for the next cycle, providing them with an opportunity to serve as tank crew members.

As part of a new expansion of the Armored Corps Division, the Israeli army will establish new regular armored reconnaissance units the coming months based on existing reserve units. The expansion will also include the integration of more female combat soldiers. The IDF announced its plans to launch a pilot program for female soldiers to serve in the Armored Corps division sometime in 2024.

On Oct. 7, the all-female tank unit, which is part of the IDF’s Border Defense Corps light infantry battalion – stationed on the Israeli-Egyptian border – came to the rescue on Israel's southern border communities that had been attacked by Hamas terrorists and their accomplices. The female soldiers fought for about six hours, killing dozens of terrorists and saving residents of the Kibbutz Holit community. Under current law, women in Israel do not have permission to serve in tank units involved in combat or deep within enemy territory.

Since the Oct. 7 attack, there has been a surge in female conscripts who want to join combat units. The IDF noted that female draft attendance was above what it had initially planned for in the various approved combat units.

Female draftees are currently showing highest interest in the follow areas: Air Defense is at 101%; Border Patrol units at 116%; Border Police at 119%; rescue units are at 122%; artillery at 132%; and units that handle battle-related intelligence collection at 133%.

Not all IDF combat units are open to women, even though the High Court of Justice demanded the IDF provide an explanation why last June.

In September, the IDF announced that female draftees would be able to join Sayeret Matkal, the elite special forces unit, as well as two other units which have until now been closed to women.

The Israeli army has plans to draft some 1,400 new combat soldiers in March to be trained to assist in the ongoing war effort, however, that will require the IDF bringing forward the enlistment of approximately 1,200 students from pre-army programs. These students would have otherwise only enlisted this summer, after their academic year ends in June.

“During the war, the IDF is required to continually implement procedures to build forces to preserve its strength over time and to respond to challenges that arise from the fighting. For this purpose, as needed, the IDF advances the enlistment of those whose service was previously deferred at their request… including for the purpose of pre-military training, a service year, yeshiva studies and more,” the IDF stated.