It was established as a separate brigade in 1982,[2] in response to the growing need for infantry manpower,[2] before the 1982 Lebanon War. Its 50th battalion was originally part of the Paratrooper Brigade in the 1950s. It is formed mainly from regular draftees, as well as from a core of soldiers from the Nahal group, part of the Nahal movement, which combines social volunteerism, agriculture (historically the establishment of kibbutz farming communities) and military service.[3] Many Mahal foreign volunteers are also known to serve in the Nahal Brigade, providing a highly motivated and disciplined core of soldiers for the brigade.[4][5]
Nahal Brigade soldiers are distinguished by their light green berets,[6] which earned them the nickname "sticklights" (Hebrew for glowsticks). The brigade is composed of four active-duty battalions[2] – 50, 931, 932, and 934 (the Gadsar, Hebrew for reconnaissance battalion) – and the various companies on its training base, which together comprise Battalion 933.
It operates on a rotational basis on the most volatile Israeli borders (Lebanon,[7] Syria[8] and Gaza[9]) as well as in the West Bank territories.[10] It is tasked with regular patrol and observation operations on the borders, counter-terrorist operations and riot control in the West Bank as well as tactical assault support to police operations in the territories.[11][12]
It has operated in all major wars and large-scale operations since its inception, playing key roles during the First and Second Lebanon War and the First and Second Intifada.[1]
On 10 June 1982, the Israeli air force mistook a column of IDF Nahal forces for a Syrian commando unit. An IAF F-4 Phantom attacked the Battalion 931, advancing in open APCs in south-eastern Lebanon with cluster ammunition. The unit suffered 24 soldiers killed and 108 wounded, with a further 30 soldiers shell shocked.[13][14][15] It was the worst friendly-fire incident in the history of the IDF.
On 4 September 1982, a four-member Palestinian squad attacked an observation post manned by eight soldiers from the Nahal brigade. All the Israeli soldiers surrendered without firing a single bullet. Israel was then forced, in two separate exchange deals, to release almost 6000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captured Nahal soldiers. The deals were severely criticized in Israel, for being extremely "lopsided". The less than heroic behaviour of the Nahal brigade soldiers was also pointed out. The Nahal Brigade Commander Gilboa went as far as branding the soldiers of his own brigade as "eight cowards".[16]
In November 1987, two PFLP-GC fighters managed to slip through the Lebanese-Israeli border on hang gliders. One of them was cornered and killed by the IDF. The second fighter, Miloud Najah from Tunisia, avoided capture and attacked an IDF base outside Kiryat Shemona in northern Israel, manned by Nahal brigade soldiers. In a two minutes exchange of fire, Najah succeeded in killing six Nahal soldiers and wounding another 10, before being killed himself. The Palestinian victory was widely celebrated in the Palestinian Occupied Territories and contributed to the outbreak of the First Intifada.
In November 2002 three Nahal soldiers were killed in an ambush in the Palestinian city of Hebron. Another nine IDF soldiers and security personnel were killed in the incident, including Col. Weinberg, the commander of the Hebron brigade, were killed in the clash. The battle was widely seen as a victory for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who lost three fighters in the incident.
From August 2019 to June 2021, the brigade was led by Yisrael Shomer[he]. On 28 June, Sharon Asman[he] was appointed as the new commander. However, three days later, on 1 July, Asman suddenly died during morning training. As a result, Shomer was issued command again until a permanent replacement could be found.[17]
In April 2024, Nochi Mandel, the chief of staff of the Nahal Brigade, was dismissed following the World Central Kitchen drone strikes that killed seven aid workers. Mandel, a religious nationalist Israeli settler, had previously signed a letter calling for the flow of aid into Gaza to be restricted.[19]
Nahal Infantry Brigade soldiers undertake around four months of basic training and around four months of advanced training in the Israeli desert.[20]
Basic training
Consists primarily of physical conditioning, Krav Maga, rifle training and the qualifying obstacle course.[20] Recruits begin their desert marches at this point in order to prepare them for their 70+ kilometers, depending on company beret march at the end of advanced training. These marches are performed fully kitted in order to prepare them for battlefield marching. Rifle training aims to perfect recruits' day and night shooting skills prior to advanced training.[5]
Recruits undergo two-man team live firing exercises in the field. Weapon understanding and maintenance is an important element of basic rifle training. Recruits are taught army values and weapon safety and responsibility.[5] Recruits are introduced to long field exercises in the desert. There they learn to survive for the first time on combat rations, limited water, extreme desert heat, sleep deprivation, and field injuries all while being subjected to intense physical activity. Camouflage,[21] fortification construction, combat first aid, and stealth maneuvering will also be taught at this stage.[22]
Advanced training
Recruits will be expected to be fully proficient with their rifles, both maintenance and shooting. Recruits displaying certain aptitudes will be sent on various specialist courses: sharpshooter training, squad automatic gunner training,[23] tactical MATADOR-missile training,[24] radio operator's course, advanced camouflage and fortifications course, combat paramedic course,[25]
All recruits learn how to conduct live-fire drills at a squad, platoon, and company level. Recruits learn how to operate both on open field battlefields, desert and mountain, and in urban terrain.[26]
After advanced training soldiers undergo a further stage of specialist training, combined with border guarding. During this time soldiers will undergo advanced urban warfare training,[27] advanced navigation training, open field and mountain fighting training,[28]
Brigade organization
933rd Infantry Brigade "Nahal"
50th Infantry Battalion "Bazelet/Basalt"
931st Infantry Battalion "Shaham/Onyx"
932nd Infantry Battalion "Granit/Granite"
(934th) Patrol Battalion "Topaz"
7107th Combat Engineer Battalion "Raz" (Reserve)
Logistics Battalion "Nahal"
Signals Company "Palhik/Agate"
Battalions 931 and 932 are composed entirely of soldiers who draft through the Bakum.
The 50th Battalion has a unique makeup. Two-thirds of its companies are made up of bnei gar'inim, groups that spend a year running programs in lower socio-economic communities before being drafted to the army. Following that year, they go through infantry training, taking around eight months, and then serve in the same manner as other infantry units for about a year. This period is followed by around half a year of community service, and then another 4–6 months as infantrymen. The other third of the 50th battalion is composed of bakumistim, or soldiers who draft regularly to the unit through the Bakum.
Prior to 2006, both groups of prospective 50th battalion soldiers were required to pass a two-day gibbush (selection phase) before being drafted in order to get into the 50th Battalion. Part of the battalion's training comprised a paratrooper course after advanced infantry training, hence Nahal Mutznaḥ, or Airborne Nahal, the name of the battalion before being transferred to the Nahal brigade. Since 2006, both the gibbush and the paratrooper course were dropped and the 50th became a regular infantry battalion. In 2010 Nahal soldiers from the 50th Battalion produced IDF Tick Tock, a viral video of themselves dancing as a flash mob in the streets of Hebron.[29]
The fourth active-duty Nahal battalion, the Gadsar (Reconnaissance battalion), was created in the early 1990s to serve as a special reconnaissance detachment for the brigade. Soldiers wishing to serve in this elite battalion must pass a five-day gibbush, a physically and mentally grueling test similar to "hell week". Approximately one in four finish the week and one in eight are accepted to the training program. After which, they are dispersed into specialized training programs for each of the three companies that make up the battalion: the Palsar (Reconnaissance Company), the Palnat (Anti-Tank Company, commonly known as the Orev company), and the Palhan (Engineering and Explosives Company).
Soldiers in this battalion undergo an additional eight months of training in krav maga, urban combat, navigation, camouflage, parachuting and other specialized courses. During periods of low intensity conflict, the companies are tasked with capturing enemies of the state and serve as counter-terrorism forces, raiding terrorist homes and hideouts. Gadsar Nahal won the IDF Chief of Staff prize in 2010 for best land combat unit.[30]
Special forces units in the Israel Defense Forces encompass a broad definition of specialist units. Such units are usually a regiment or a battalion in strength.
The 1st "Golani" Brigade is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the others being the Paratroopers Brigade, the Nahal Brigade, the Givati Brigade and the Kfir Brigade. Its symbol is a green olive tree against a yellow background, with its soldiers wearing a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the IDF. The brigade consists of five battalions, including two which it kept from its inception, one transferred from the Givati Brigade (51st).
The 84th "Givati" Brigade is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade formed in 1947.
Nahal is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training in entrepreneurship in urban development areas. Prior to the 1990s it was a paramilitary Israel Defense Forces program that combined military service and the establishment of agricultural settlements, often in peripheral areas.
The 35th "Paratroopers" Brigade is an Israeli military airborne infantry brigade. It forms a major part of the Israeli Ground Forces' Infantry Corps, and has a history of carrying out special operations from the 1950s onwards. Soldiers of the brigade wear maroon berets with the Infantry Corps pin and russet boots.
Unit 621, otherwise known as Sayeret Egoz, is an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commando unit specializing in guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, and direct action (military). It is a part of the IDF Central Command's 89th Brigade.
The 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion, previously known as Nahal Haredi is a controversial battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. The purpose of the unit is to allow Haredi Jewish men to serve as combat soldiers in the Israeli military by creating an atmosphere conducive to their religious convictions in the strict observance of Halakha.
The Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces that, since 1998, has been subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters. The Armored Corps is the principal maneuvering corps, and primarily bases its strength on main battle tanks.
The 900th "Kfir" Brigade, is the youngest and largest infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to the 99th "Flash" Infantry Division (Reserve) of Israel's Central Regional Command.
The 33rd "Caracal" Battalion is an infantry combat battalion of the Israel Defense Forces, one of the three fully combat units in the Israeli military's Paran Brigade that are composed of both male and female soldiers. It is named after the caracal, a small cat whose sexes appear the same. As of 2009, approximately 70% of the battalion was female.
The Battle of Wadi Saluki also known as the Battle of Wadi al-Hujeir was a battle within the framework of Operation Change of Direction 11 that took place at the end of the Second Lebanon War between the armored forces of the 162nd Division, 401st Brigade, and infantry of the Nahal Brigade and the Combat Engineering Corps and Hezbollah fighters, in the area of river Saluki and the villages of Ghanduriyah and Faron. The battle is considered one of the hardest-fought battles in the Second Lebanon War.
Shayetet 13 is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit is trained for sea, air and land actions. The unit has taken part in almost all of Israel's major wars, as well as other actions.
Maglan is a sayeret (reconnaissance) unit of the Israeli Defense Forces, which specializes in operating behind enemy lines and deep in enemy territory using advanced technologies and weaponry. Though Maglan is part of the IDF's Commando Brigade, its operators undergo basic training with the Paratroopers Brigade.
Israel is one of only a few countries where military service is compulsory for all able-bodied female citizens. Under Israeli conscription laws, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may draft recruits from three communities: the Jews, the Druze, and the Circassians. As the latter two communities are less populous, their women are not required to serve. Women from the Jewish majority are not exempted from the conscription laws, but serve for slightly shorter terms than male conscripts. All women who are exempted from the conscription laws may still enlist voluntarily. Jewish women who are called up for military service may apply for an exemption on humanitarian, religious, or certain legal grounds. Those who claim such an exemption will typically be redirected to Sherut Leumi, the alternative means of national service.
Amos Yaron was Israel Defense Forces Major General and former head of the Manpower Directorate. He served as the Director General of the Ministry of Defense from 1999 until 2005.
Mickey Edelstein is a major-general in the Israeli Defense Forces, and the IDF's military attaché in the United States.
Yoram Shmuel Yair is an Israeli retired soldier who served in the IDF for 35 years until his release with the rank of major general, in 1998. After his release, he volunteers in the social, educational and business fields. He serves as chairman and strategic advisor of several companies in Israel and abroad, and as chairman of "Yahad – United for Israel's Soldiers", chairman of the association "After Me!" and chairman of an association that operates drug and alcohol rehab villages. Yair built and heads the Rabin Leadership Program at the IDC Herzliya.
Itai Veruv is a Major General (aluf) who is currently serving as the Commander of the Israel Defense Forces Depth Corps and Commander of the IDF Military Colleges. He previously served as Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Commander of the Gaza Division, Chief of the Infantry and Paratroopers Corps, and Commander of the Kfir Brigade.
Dan Goldfuss is an Israeli Brigadier general (Tat-Aluf) who commands the Fire Formation.
Yonatan Steinberg was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the rank of colonel, who served as the commander of the 933rd "Nahal" Brigade. He had previously served as the commander of the Center for Tactical Training in the IDF, the commander of the Binyamin Brigade, the Assistant Brigade Commander (Operations) of the Steel Formation, and the commander of Battalion 931. He was killed by members of Hamas in a surprise attack on Israel in October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Israel 
Israeli Ground Forces 
