Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 25, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 25, 2026
IDF chief: Military needs ‘every male and female combat soldier’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a cadets' graduation ceremony at the Bahad 1 officers' school in southern Israel, June 25, 2026. (Screenshot/Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military needs “every male and female combat soldier and every male and female commander” following threats by rabbis to stop sending their students to serve in tank units because of a pilot program integrating women into the Armored Corps.
“The challenge facing the IDF is to find a balance between accommodating diverse populations and preserving a shared and unified framework that enables it to carry out its missions effectively,” Zamir says at an IDF cadets graduation ceremony.
“We will strengthen cohesion through what unites rather than what divides us. This too is part of the IDF’s ability to achieve victory,” he adds.
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