Women Tankers’ Remarkable Performance on October 7 Alters Israeli Perceptions
Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda: “There is no question anymore, women can be everywhere.”
Hamas’ massive surprise attack against Israel on October 7 caught the soldiers defending the borders off guard and outnumbered. In the adjacent military zone protecting the border with Egypt sat Israel’s female tanker unit, which understood the extent of the attack and headed to the Gaza border, immediately jumping into action.
This event signifies a historic milestone in Israeli military history, showcasing the exceptional capabilities of women fighters during the October 7 battles. Their highly successful performance dispelled skepticism about women operating tank within and outside the army.
Capt. Karni, the company commander of the female tank company, was on the base when the attack occurred. Speaking to The Media Line, she shared her experience, stating, “In the first few moments, you do not really understand.” She emphasized the urgency of joining the battle upon comprehending the scale of the events.
It is only women in the tank. … We fight the same. Nothing really is different just because we are women.
“I was guarding when everything happened, I heard the bombs dropping and I heard the news, I saw everything happening live on the news and I knew that something was starting,” Abigail Fishman, a 21-year-old tank driver told The Media Line. Fishman stayed to guard the company’s base and the border with Egypt.
“We kind of drove through the rockets, through the shootings and disturbing brutal attacks that Hamas came upon us, the civilians of Israel. But we knew we had to carry on driving,” Tamara Ziff, a 20-year-old tank commander, told The Media Line. Ziff was at home that weekend, and when the situation started, she immediately drove to her base in southern Israel.
After about an hour on the road, Capt. Karni’s tank company reached the battleground. Karni described the intense moment when facing terrorists, highlighting the decision to leave one tank guarding the fence, send another to the Sufa military post, and personally defend Kibbutz Holit.
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“I got to the border area, and I grasped the situation when I saw 40 terrorists rushing in my direction and I heard the shooting toward the tank and I understood: That’s it, I need to calm my fear, I’m in a war. A war for my life and a war for my fellow citizens,” said Karni. From that moment until the fighting subsided was roughly 17 hours.
The women tankers killed dozens of terrorists, maybe hundreds. They stopped the flow of terrorists from reaching the towns behind their fighting line and saved the lives of hundreds of civilians. These women made history as this marked the first war worldwide in which women tankers participated.
“It is only women in the tank. Four girls who fight together and we do the same job as the men do, we do the same work, and we fight the same. Nothing really is different just because we are women,” stressed Fishman.
There is no question anymore; women can be everywhere
Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda, the commanding officer of the Caracal Battalion to which this tank company belongs, affirmed the capabilities of women in combat roles. “There is no question anymore; women can be everywhere,” she stated.
Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda, then a captain, Oct. 2014. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
On the same day, infantry women fighters also defended the country’s borders successfully.
“On October 7, we came out from our bases to help the other soldiers,” said Ben Yehuda adding that she expects this to eliminate doubts about women’s ability to serve as fighters or tankers.
Ben Yehuda, together with her soldiers, created a barrier that not even one terrorist managed to pass. “Our mission is to stop and to attack the terrorists and that they won’t pass us. I was very focused on my mission to defend Israel and defend all the civilians nearby Gaza,” she continued.
The terrorists who infiltrated from Gaza did not anticipate encountering women fighters. Ben Yehuda recounted a close encounter with a terrorist during the fight, highlighting the surprise at seeing a woman in a combat role.
“So, I’m sure that he saw my hair, I’m sure that he was very surprised because even in this little fight I won. So probably he will not get his 72 virgins,” she continued.
The operational success of the women fighters’ units rendered criticism of having women as combat soldiers in the IDF irrelevant. Capt. Karni expressed her hope for continued recognition of women’s capabilities in various roles.
I really hope that women have proven themselves in all the sections. … Women stood out as they know how to stand out in everything they do.
“I really hope that women have proven themselves in all the sections. Not in the sense of proving that the time has come, in the sense that there was an event, and women stood out as they know how to stand out in everything they do. And this time they encountered such a situation but I’m sure that if this situation would have come before, they would have proven the same thing. And it is not proof, it is more like disclosing,” said Karni.
“We have literally proved ourselves that we can do it and I hope that in years by my kids will also draft in, my daughters will also draft into tanks, and that they will do their best to protect me and the people in Israel so that we can carry on with our lives,” added Ziff.
