Kfir is the youngest of the IDF’s six infantry brigades. But during the war, its fighters proved the experience and capabilities of lions in every mission.
Last Sunday, after another round in the Gaza Strip, the brigade, between offensive operations and defensive missions, also found time to mark (with a slight delay) the event of the brigade’s 20th anniversary celebration. This milestone provides us with an opportunity and time to sit down and hear a little about what it means to be part of the “Leopard” brigade – and that is from the perspective of the company commanders leading the various battalions.
Major A. – Company Commander, Reconnaissance Company, Nahshon Battalion
When Major A. joined the brigade, he immediately took command of his platoon as a platoon leader during operational deployment in the Etzion Regional Brigade. Today, about 5 years later, and after reaching his position as company commander of the spearhead company of the Nahshon Battalion, he is closing a circle – and accompanying his soldiers during the recent months of operational deployment in the exact same sector.
He remembers that period then, as a young officer during Operation Guardian of the Walls, as very tense: “Once, another soldier and I were going home during the week, and on his way at the Nabi Musa junction – he was attacked by a terrorist face-to-face. That fighter managed to neutralize the attacker with his bare hands, even when pepper spray was sprayed into his eyes, he still composed himself.”
Since that moment, Major A. makes it a point to mention the incident whenever he can. When he was a company commander for recruits in training, he invited the fighter to speak to his soldiers: “It affected me greatly at that time, and it still accompanies me even today.”
The sense of purpose of commanding in the brigade during the war is what keeps him persistent in his missions, however intense they may be. “From the maneuver in Gaza, I see our progress in practice. From going out on an offensive every day with my soldiers, to establishing the ‘Green Line’ with our own hands. Especially in retrospect, now that we are no longer in the Strip, but in the Etzion sector – you see that all the fighters here have come with a clear purpose and a lot of zeal to continue and operate.”
As we talk, he also returns to his first moments in Kfir: “Since I enlisted, they only told us about the brigade’s legacy from Operation Protective Edge, and today, as we operate daily on foot in Gaza and fight there with intensity – I understand everything they told me about since basic training.”
Major A. – Fire Support Company Commander, Haruv Reconnaissance Unit
Major A. only began his role as a reconnaissance unit commander a few months ago – after fighting with the brigade in Shuja’iyya and Khan Yunis during the maneuver. “I entered the role right at the beginning of our period in the defensive mission of the ‘Green Line’, shortly after the hostage deal,” he says. “Today we are in a post in the southern Gaza Strip, and from there we also go on the offensive when necessary.”
As a fighter and officer who enlisted in Kfir in 2019, Major A. felt that the major turning point for the brigade was on October 7th. “The change was not only internal, but also external – the perception of our capabilities and the expansion of the missions and sectors given to us,” he says.
“Now, looking back, you can see that the brigade was in three arenas almost simultaneously,” he continues to describe. “You realize that something significant is changing here, it comes with a change in equipment. We are learning on the go and improving, which is something amazing and not necessarily something that existed before.”
Just before he moved to be a reconnaissance unit commander, Major A. commanded a company in the training base: “I started there in March 2024. We entered operational activity in the middle of training, right before the start of advanced training. For three weeks, we were on operational deployment in the Jordan Valley. We experienced intense operational activity there with clashes and attacks. But the soldiers achieved many operational successes, it was a period of peak motivation – I saw lions who came to work hard to become fighters.”
Captain Sh. – Company Commander, Reconnaissance Company, Shimshon Battalion
Captain Sh. also came to command in the battalion after serving as the commander of the training platoon at the training base. Since then, he has been in Shimshon for over a year, and like most companies in Kfir, he underwent a significant maneuver in the Gaza Strip, in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, and also experienced intense activity in Operation “Iron Shield” in Tulkarm.
One of the significant events that stays with him occurred in Beit Lahiya: “While we were there, the battalion lost three fighters, close friends who were killed by an explosive device. And now, during the ceasefire two months ago, we returned to the exact same area – to destroy the tunnel infrastructure that led to their deaths. I felt that the circle was closed, that we had taken another step forward in preventing such tragedies.”
Beyond that, the sense of pride and satisfaction of his fighters is worth everything. “After months of constant activity, it can sometimes feel exhausting,” Captain Sh. shares. “But we have the best people. They continue day by day, get on their feet and go out for another offensive, and another, and another destruction, in heat and cold – and that fills you with pride.”
After the intense period in the heart of Gaza and Judea and Samaria, he looks back at the moments: “I learned that there is no such thing as ‘we can’t,’ we are capable of much more than we could have imagined. It’s in our DNA, as an army, as a battalion – and as a brigade.”
“There are very humble people here. We are not perfect – but we do want to work hard. This ability to adapt ourselves to the arena and its challenges meets us time and time again. I inform my soldiers about an operation, and within four hours the company is ready – the muscles are trained, and you can really see the spark in their eyes.”