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Women Warriors: Female Fighters in the IDF


(Ynet News) Yoav Zitun - Five female combat soldiers discussed the complex realities they face in Gaza and the West Bank. Lt. Paz Rokach, 24, is a medical officer in the Binyamin Division, which operates in and around Ramallah. Lt. Shahaf Shwartz, 23, served as an operations officer for the Golani Brigade during the 2014 Gaza war. Sgt. Yael Sandler, 21, is a lone soldier from California who assisted in rescuing two IDF soldiers who accidentally entered the Qalandia refugee camp two months ago. Lt. Ofir Asulin, is a field intelligence officer who was injured in a stabbing at a gas station on Route 443. Cpl. Linoy Ben Yitzhak identified three terrorists planting IEDs on the northern border of Gaza. Sgt. Sandler said, "I do everything that the men do. It's all in the mind. As female combat soldiers, we march for miles when going on arrest raids....Sometimes the women are stronger than the men." Lt. Schwartz, who serves as a sniper instructor, was recognized for exemplary service as a Golani Operations Officer during the Gaza war. During one of her division's first and toughest battles, the unit's top brass was hit, and for a few long minutes (and after functioning for several days without sleeping), she found herself commanding the complex event from headquarters. Lt. Rokach found herself commanding the treatment and evacuation of close to 200 injured people in 2015 alone, including soldiers, civilians and terrorists who had been neutralized.
2016-05-10 00:00:00
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