For the first time in IDF history, a female soldier has completed a dedicated training track in Sayeret Matkal, Israel’s most elite reconnaissance and hostage-rescue unit. The IDF says she passed the preliminary selection process, met the required criteria, and finished more than a year and a half of training inside the unit.

Sayeret Matkal, the IDF’s General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, is built for deep intelligence missions behind enemy lines, counterterrorism, and hostage rescue beyond Israel’s borders. It is the unit behind some of Israel’s most legendary operations, including Entebbe.

The pilot to integrate women into Sayeret Matkal began in late 2024 as part of a broader IDF review of women serving in combat and special units. Her operational role has not yet been finalized; the IDF says it will be determined according to operational needs and the Joint Service Order.