In the late 1980s, when I first enlisted in the IDF, women in combat roles were virtually non-existent. They were relegated to support positions such as clerks or infantry instructors, with limited opportunities to serve in frontline capacities. Fast forward to the present day, and the landscape has dramatically shifted. A quarter of my PALMAR unit consists of women, who now hold diverse roles ranging from combat soldiers to combat medics, doctors, and paramedics.

Gone are the days when gender determined one’s role in the military. Today, the IDF values competence above all else, asking not if you are male or female but whether you excel at what you do. One remarkable individual in our unit exemplifies this ethos, a combat doctor who transitioned from being a paramedic in Gaza........

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