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Caracal Battalion

33rd "Caracal" Battalion
Active2000–Current
Country Israel
BranchGround Forces
TypeInfantry
Part ofParan Brigade, Southern Command
Motto(s)"The winning combination"
ColorsLight yellow with brown camouflage beret, Orange & Bordeaux Flag
EngagementsAl-Aqsa Intifadah; 2005 Gaza withdrawal; 2006 Israel-Lebanon War; 2023 Israel-Hamas War[1]
Commanders
Current
commander		Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda
Beret doffing ceremony at Masada

The 33rd "Caracal" Battalion (Hebrew: גדוד קרקל) is an infantry combat battalion of the Israel Defense Forces, one of the three fully combat units (alongside the 'Lions of Jordan Battalion' and the 'Cheetah Battalion') in the Israeli military's Paran Brigade that are composed of both male and female soldiers.[2] It is named after the caracal, a small cat whose sexes appear the same.[3] As of 2009, approximately 70% of the battalion was female.[2][4]

The Caracal Battalion is unique among the border patrol battalions as apart from its infantry units, it includes a tank unit made from female soldiers entirely. The squad (called Pere Squad) was formed after a multiple year long pilot which tested the ability to involve women in the Armored Corps.

History

Cadets' first day in the Caracal Battalion

Prior to Caracal's formation in 2000, women were barred from serving in direct combat. The unit has since been tasked with patrolling the Israeli-Egyptian border. It took part in Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005.[5]

The Caracal Battalion engaged in combat on September 21, 2012 on the Egyptian border, following the infiltration of a group of terrorists. Responding to a radio report of the attack, a female Caracal infantry soldier killed a terrorist wearing a suicide belt in a fire-fight.[6]

In October 2014, a jeep of the battalion was attacked by militants from the Egyptian border with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Two soldiers were injured. One of the injured, a female officer, Captain Or Ben-Yehuda, nonetheless dismounted from the jeep and returned fire killing one militant in the fire-fight.[7]

In November 2017, Caracal officially became part of the border array (alongside the 'Lions of Jordan Battalion' and the 'Cheetah Battalion') and replaced the green beret with a light yellow and brown camouflage.

While Caracal is a mixed gender battalion, it has been 70% female since 2009. Previously a part of the 512th Sagi Brigade of the Southern Command, the battalion currently operates under the command of the Paran Brigade after a reconfiguation of the southern Sagi Brigade.[8]

At Sufa and Holit the Caracal Battalion, under the command of Lt. Col. Or Ben-Yehuda, claimed to have eliminated nearly 100 Hamas terrorists during the 2023 Hamas invasion of southern Israel. The Battalion suffered minimal casualties and no deaths.[1]

Training

Female soldiers taking part in Caracal Winter Training

Members of the Caracal Battalion were formerly issued the Israeli-made Tavor assault rifle.[9] but are now issued M4 carbines or M16 rifles.[10]

Battalion members partake in a four-month basic training period that includes physical training and weapons training at the Givati Brigade training base.[4]

Notable recruits

Second Lieutenant Noy, who is serving in the Caracal Battalion, was the first female officer to command a sniper platoon.[11]

Elinor Joseph, who has also served with the Caracal Battalion, is the first Arab woman ever to serve in a combat role in the Israeli Army.[12]

Or Ben Yehuda, commander of Caracal Battalion

Captain Or Ben-Yehuda was awarded a citation while serving in the Caracal Battalion. Ben-Yehuda was in charge of the Caracal Battalion, which was stationed near the Israeli-Egyptian border. Nearly two dozen armed men opened fire on their position in an ambush attack on October 22, 2014. Although wounded in the volley of gunfire, Ben-Yehuda managed to get on the radio and call for backup, administer first aid to her driver and return several magazines worth of gunfire back at her attackers while waiting for reinforcements.[13]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IDF Caracal battalion.

References

  1. ^ a b "Squad of female IDF combat troops eliminated nearly 100 Hamas terrorists". October 23, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Coed combat". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "Caracal". the Honolulu Zoo. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Integration of women in the IDF". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. March 8, 2009. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  5. ^ Sheera Claire Frenkel. "After the evacuation". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  6. ^ Zitun, Yoav (September 24, 2012). "Female sniper: I didn't think twice". Ynetnews. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Female warrior who killed a terrorist: an impressive commander Maariv
  8. ^ Ari Gross, Judah (November 28, 2018). "In reshuffle, army forms new Faran Brigade to defend Israel-Egypt border".
  9. ^ Ben, Tzvi (January 8, 2009). "Female Combat Soldiers to Receive Advanced Tavor Rifle". Israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  10. ^ "Co-ed battalions to get new home in Border Defense Force". The Times of Israel.
  11. ^ 1st woman commands sniper platoon. YNet.
  12. ^ Caro Weizman, Rotem (July 26, 2010). "First Female Arab Combat Soldier in IDF is Proud to Serve Israel". IDF News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011. The difficult dilemma she felt in serving at a border crossing was not easy for her but she said during moments of difficulty and misgiving she would remember, 'there was a Katyusha [rocket] that fell near my house and also hurt Arabs. If someone would tell me that serving in the IDF means killing Arabs, I remind them that Arabs also kill Arabs.'
  13. ^ "This Female IDF Soldier Fought Off 23 Terrorists in Surprise Attack", The Tribunist
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