The Israel Defense Forces has changed the format of the pilot project for integrating women into the armored corps. Starting from June 17, the program will continue in the border defense system rather than in regular armored brigades, Ynet reported.
The unit is planned to be entirely female: there will be no men in the armored vehicle crews or in the company.
This decision was made at a meeting led by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir after the protest from the heads of military yeshivas. They threatened to stop sending graduates to the armored corps.
It has been decided that women will not be included in mixed tank crews. If the project develops further, a separate unit may be created for them, such as a company or an armored group.
It is noteworthy that female tank crews operate in the border defense system – they patrol areas, conduct surveillance, ensure security, and participate in preventing smuggling. The tankers of the "Paro" company of the "Karakal" battalion participated in the battles on October 7, 2023. The all-female crews held back the advance of Hamas terrorists and later received thanks from the Chief of Staff.
The protest against the pilot project began after a letter from the heads of hesder yeshivas to the Prime Minister of Israel. In it, they warned that starting from the next draft, they would stop sending students to the armored corps: "The army is moving towards mixed service of men and women, which is prohibited by Judaism."
It should be noted that the first recruitment of participants in the program was initially planned for November 2025, but it has been postponed to November 2026.
