Israeli Teenage Girls Surge Into Combat-Prep Courses After October 7

On Plog Beach and at other training sites across Israel, more teenage girls are joining combat-preparation programs, a trend that has accelerated sharply since the October 7 attack and the war that followed. The article describes evening drills of sprints, sandbag carries and crawls, where nearly half the trainees are girls. Many train two or three times a week with hopes of entering frontline roles in the Israel Defense Forces, including elite units such as Caracal, Yahalom, Unit 669, Oketz, and even Sayeret Matkal, where the first female soldier recently completed the unit’s demanding course.

Daniel Alkobi, professional manager at Expert Combat Fitness, says the question is no longer whether women can serve as fighters, but which women and men are suited for it. He said that a decade ago he had only two or three girls in a group, while today some teams have 15. He argued that October 7 created new motivation and made combat service feel immediate rather than theoretical. Prof. Elishiva Rossman-Stollman of Bar-Ilan University said the phenomenon is not just about equality, but also about young women wanting to be part of the most valued arenas of national contribution.

The story centers on several teenagers who see combat service as identity, not sacrifice. Sixteen-year-old Brity Toldano of Netanya wants to become a commander in the naval officers course or in Yahalom. Libi Cohen, who turned 17 on the dunes, spends hundreds of shekels a month on training and gym work and hopes to reach Unit 669. Both say October 7 made the future feel close. Cohen said, “The situation in the country does not leave many options.” Her goal is to save lives and help injured soldiers return home.

The piece places the shift in historical context, noting that the legal breakthrough came in 1995 with the Alice Miller petition to the High Court, and that further pressure in 2020 led to pilot programs and entry routes for women in Yahalom, 669 and other units. It also says women now make up 21.2% of the IDF’s fighting force. At the same time, resistance persists, including from some rabbis and from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has warned that integrating women harms the army’s readiness. But for 18-year-old Hila Sabag, a religious student from Ramat Gan, the service is a religious mission. She said her rabbi told her, “This is your place.”