Breaking barriers: Female combat medics in the IDF prove their mettle on the front lines

“For female doctors who want to be on the battlefield, there is no longer a glass ceiling,” said Lieutenant A, a physician and commanding officer in the Battalion Aid Station of the Givati Brigade – one of the few all-female units in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Lieutenant A leads a team of three paramedics – Corporal S, Corporal N, and Corporal G – all of whom completed the military’s paramedic training course before joining the unit. Their role is both medical and operational, serving alongside combat troops and providing care under fire.

“They are as combat-ready as any other soldier,” said Lieutenant A, who joined the battalion 18 months ago after completing seven years of medical school and the IDF’s military medical programme.

Originally recruited as medical staff, the women were assigned to units based on personality assessments and then underwent further training tailored to their operational environment.

Corporal G, one of the battalion’s paramedics, spoke candidly about the challenges she faced integrating into an all-male platoon.

“The hardest thing wasn’t hygiene or anything about being a woman – it was proving that I belonged,” she told the JC. “It was about showing the male soldiers that I could do everything they could.”

Her turning point came during a critical moment under pressure.

Theirs is one of the few all-female units in the IDF (Image: IDF)[Missing Credit]

“It was during my first treatment in Gaza, about eight months ago,” she recalled. “A soldier had been wounded by friendly fire. The unit had entered a secured area and opened fire – one of the bullets hit a fellow platoon member.”

The injury, a spinal wound, had long-term implications. “There was a lot of stress but in the end, he received the right treatment and he is now rehabilitating,” she said.

Corporal G credits her emotional distance, having joined the unit post-training rather than going through it with her platoon mates, with giving her a different perspective. But it’s a shared trait, she says, that gives women an edge.

“People say women are sensitive. I think we’re capable of focusing under pressure. We have very good control – that’s our biggest advantage.”

Corporal N agreed, saying emotional intelligence equips women to handle combat-zone stress.

“We’re able to see the bigger picture,” she said. “Maybe because we’re more sensitive, we anticipate needs, separate emotion from action, and stay composed when it counts.”

Despite the physical and emotional toll, the female medics quickly became an integral part of their unit.

“After all we’ve seen in this war – female paramedics and physicians on the front lines – women have more than proven they can do anything, and often do it better,” said Lieutenant A. “Ultimately, professionalism and composure matter more than gender.”

Women began entering frontline IDF roles in the 1990s, with female paramedics joining elite units like the Golani Brigade. Today, 86 per cent of IDF units are open to women.

Lieutenant A acknowledged lingering scepticism in some corners of Israeli society but said determination transcends bias.

“There will always be second-guessing, but if you’re committed, nothing can stop you – regardless of who you are.”

The lieutenant, who chose a frontline role despite having no prior combat training, said it was exactly where she needed to be.

“Our sense of empathy and situational awareness makes for good caregivers,” she said. “A lot of female traits fit this role well.”

What she’s gained, she added, extends beyond experience.

“Friendship, perspective, and belief in myself,” she said, adding: “After everything – the wounded soldiers, the friends and commanders we lost, the constant threat – what remains is the knowledge that I can face anything.

“Everyone who goes to war is changed,” she added. “What you experience there doesn’t exist anywhere else. This was the hardest year and a half of my life, but I came out of it knowing I can do whatever I set my mind to – as long as I believe and work hard.”