The IDF's Southern Intelligence Unit, tasked with monitoring the Israel-Egypt border to prevent smugglers and terrorists from infiltrating into the country, is not your average unit, if only because it is all-female.
Israel is one of few countries in the world to conscript women, and women have taken part in its armed forces even before the state was officially founded, fulfilling various roles within the Ground, Naval and Air forces.
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"Not a day goes by that there isn't some kind of incident on the border," Lt. Col. Mani Abramov, commander of the 727th Eitam Combat Intelligence Battalion that operates in the southern secotor, told Israel Hayom.
"This border is considered a quiet one, but it can be volatile. When ISIS operates on the other side of the border, you can't simply assume that the situation will remain quiet forever. We closely monitor the border, around the clock," he stressed, noting that the soldiers specialize in using drones and placing intelligence-gathering measures in the field.
Photos: Oren Cohen
Even though the battalion mostly deals with drug smuggling and the occasional gun runner, every incident is treated as a potential act of terror.
"We know the dangers that can emanate from Sinai, from ISIS, for example," Abramov concluded.
"We collect information through covert and overt surveillance," Capt. Stav Malihi told Israel Hayom. She commands the Nachshol Field Intelligence Unit, tasked with monitoring the Israel-Egypt border for suspicious activity. "No matter the incident, the goal is to keep Israel safe."
Each of the women serving in the unit volunteered for a three-year military service instead of the two-year mandatory one. The fact that the battalion consists of mostly female soldiers is a source of pride for its officers, who firmly believe that there is no reason why female soldiers shouldn't be capable of performing missions as well as any other soldier.
"The girls here chose to be soldiers. They dedicate an extra year of their life to the army and the country. We are incredibly proud of them," Malihi said.
"Everyone is unique in their own way, and it doesn't make a difference what gender you are. The very fact that female soldiers are professional and full of motivation is what allows us to focus on our goal and succeed. The bottom line is that success is measured by operational effectiveness, and our battalion executes successful operations every week."
Malihi doesn't let the debate of whether women are capable of serving in combat units affect her work.
"I don't busy myself with the debate. I only need to focus on one thing – carry out the mission in the best possible way. Too bad that in 2020 men are still debating whether women are capable of serving in combat units.
"Our military has realized that there is no difference between male and female soldiers, and I see it every day myself. We do not attach importance to gender and perform every mission just as well as any other army soldier.
"When I was a platoon commander of a military training company, I told my soldiers that I did not enlist to prove anything. I enlisted to serve and defend my country," she said.
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