Jerusalem, 8 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — As Israel marks International Women’s Day on Sunday amid war with Iran, the Israel Defense Forces released new data showing the growing role of women across its combat forces and in the current conflict.
According to the army statement, women now make up about 20 percent of the IDF’s combat force and roughly 20 percent of reservists mobilized during the ongoing war.
“Also in this campaign, the operational reality is revealed in full force: female soldiers are crossing borders, operating precise fire, commanding forces in the field, and serving in intelligence, in the air, at sea, in cyber units, and in combat support roles,” Brig. Gen. Rosital Aviv, the Gender Affairs Adviser to the Chief of Staff, said in a written statement to The Press Service of Israel.
“Effectiveness on the battlefield is not a product of gender. It is the direct result of training, excellence, and commitment to the mission,” she added.
The figures released by the military on Saturday emphasize women’s participation in current operations across several branches of the armed forces. The IDF did not make female personnel available for comment.
״Since its founding, women have served in the IDF, and their service makes a significant contribution to achieving its objectives. Today too, during Operation ‘Roaring Lion,’ women are an integral part of the IDF’s operational activities,” the IDF statement said.
In the Israeli Air Force, women account for about half of the personnel serving in the Air Defense Array, a unit central to intercepting incoming missile threats. The IDF said approximately 5,000 female reservists are currently serving in the Air Force during “Operation Roaring Lion,” while around 130 female aircrew combat personnel are taking part in operational missions.
The Israeli Navy also reported a significant presence of female personnel during the conflict. About 25 female commanders who graduated from the naval officers course are currently engaged in operations, alongside approximately 130 female naval combat soldiers serving aboard missile ships. According to the military, about 40 percent of personnel involved in intelligence, planning, command, and fire direction roles in the Navy are women.
Women are also serving in large numbers in technological units. In the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, the IDF said more than 40 percent of the combat soldiers in the Electronic Warfare Battalion of the Sapir Brigade are women.
Beyond the current operation, the data released for International Women’s Day highlights a broader increase in female participation across the military.
In 2015 women represented 7.2 percent of combat troops, compared with 21.2 percent today, a threefold increase over the past decade, according to the army. The military also said women currently constitute about 35 percent of all career service personnel. By rank, women account for roughly 24 percent of lieutenant colonels and about 15 percent of colonels.
More than 90 percent of military roles are now open to women as the army has expanded opportunities in combat and operational units over the years.
“Precisely at a time when our enemies seek to undermine our security, it becomes clear that the people’s army is strongest when women and men, religious and secular, from cities and villages stand together at the center of decision making and on the front lines of action,” Aviv told TPS-IL.