From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 13, 2026
High Court orders IDF to begin pilot for female tank troops by November 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The High Court of Justice says the IDF must begin a trial for female soldiers to serve in the Armored Corps by November, following repeated delays by the military.
Currently, female soldiers can serve in tanks in the IDF’s Border Defense Corps as part of an all-female tank company in the Caracal mixed-gender light infantry battalion, which operates along the Egyptian border — not in fighting deep behind enemy lines.
The tentative pilot program in the Armored Corps, which the IDF had previously seen as impractical, was originally meant to start in 2024.
Its opening was delayed twice amid the war, and the IDF last said it was expected to begin in November 2026.
In a ruling today — following a petition filed in 2020 demanding that the IDF open additional combat roles to female recruits — the High Court says that “the IDF has a legal obligation to uphold, to the extent possible, equal opportunities between men and women in assignments to combat roles.”
The court says that the IDF must open the Armored Corps trial for women in November 2026, and not delay it further.
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