Shine Bright: First Female Fighters Graduate Elite Yahalom Course | WATCH
The soldiers received the unit pin at a ceremony on Mount Carmel’s Muhraka after a year-long course that tested them physically and mentally, including grueling exercises meant to build the endurance, resilience and technical skill required of Yahalom fighters.
More than 20 female soldiers completed one of the IDF’s toughest training tracks this week, formally joining the operational ranks of Yahalom, the elite combat engineering unit.
The soldiers received the unit pin at a ceremony on Mount Carmel’s Muhraka after a year-long course that tested them physically and mentally, including grueling exercises meant to build the endurance, resilience and technical skill required of Yahalom fighters.
The completion of the course marks another step in the IDF’s integration of women into elite combat roles, including some of the most demanding units in the military. Yahalom, considered one of the IDF’s most challenging and prestigious units, specializes in complex combat engineering missions.
One of the newly certified fighters, identified only as A., said the ceremony was an emotional milestone after a long and difficult year.
“It is a great feeling of pride,” she said. “It is fun to finish the course, which was not simple and was very challenging. There were many experiences, including difficult moments and less difficult ones. It is amazing to stand here at the top of the Muhraka and finish this together after days like these. It is very moving.”
The soldiers completed 12 months of training, capped by two weeks of pressure exercises designed to test the physical and mental toughness expected of members of the unit.
The ceremony also marked a personal milestone for the course’s company commander, Maj. G., who is completing her military service after becoming the first woman to serve in the role.
“Almost two years ago, I received the moving news that I had been given the privilege that only a few receive, to accompany you through an entire course, from the enlistment center to the Muhraka,” she told the soldiers. “Now there is no one prouder than me to stand here beside you, award you the fighter’s pin, and officially bring you into the Yahalom family.”
Beyond the marches, sleepless nights and punishing standards, the course’s completion represents a broader breakthrough for women in IDF combat service. The new Yahalom fighters did not ask for lowered expectations, only the chance to meet the same ones.