The IDF, or, Israel Defense Forces, is the national military force of the State of Israel and consists of the Israeli Ground Force, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy.
The IDF is headed by the Chief of Staff, who holds the rank of Lieutenant General and is the only active officer who does so. The current chief of staff is Herzi Halevi.
The IDF was formally established in May 1948 after the creation of the Jewish State, and it encompassed the three paramilitary groups that existed prior to the state - the Hagana, the Irgun, and the Stern Gang (Lehi).
Since the formation of the IDF, it has participated in six major wars including the War of Independence, the Six Day War, the Sinai War, the Yom Kippur War, and the first and second Lebanon Wars. Other operations include Operation Cast Lead, Operation Pillar of Defense, Operation Protective Edge, Operation Guardian of the Walls, and Operation Swords of Iron.
Conscription to the IDF is mandatory for both men and women over the age of 18, with women in non-combat positions serving for two years, and women in combat positions, and men, regardless of position, have a mandatory service of two years and eight months.
In addition to regular military duties and activities, the IDF responds to national emergencies or crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides personnel to carry out work alongside the civilian population.
Guided by intelligence information, fighters found and destroyed several rockets that were aimed at Israeli territory.
Gabriela Leimberg recounts her harrowing captivity under Hamas, highlighting hope amid despair and the miraculous rescue of her family.
The IDF has intensified operations within Shifa Hospital in recent weeks, where they killed numerous terrorists, including a Hamas official.
The attorney general, possibly with good intentions, may have wrecked the idea of a real court deadline with teeth that can get anyone to make hard choices on this fateful issue.
As families worry about the fate of their loved ones, N12 reported that Netanyahu was presented with a framework for a deal but rejected it.
Arye Deri on High Court's interim ruling: I can understand those who don't want to serve in IDF.
The technology allows intelligence personnel to pick faces out of crowds and grainy drone footage and identify them. However, the technology is not entirely accurate.
Amid the firefights, IDF troops evacuated civilians, patients, and medical teams to alternative medical facilities that the IDF set up in the area to enable proper medical treatment to continue.
Child among three wounded in Jordan Valley terror shooting • Hamas has thousands more fighters than Israel initially thought
Har also described the time the IDF rescued him, and that there was "gunfire in all directions like a movie."