Meet the desert cats: Israel's battle-ready female fighters

Formed in 2004, the mixed-sex Karakal combat battalion, named after a desert cat of the same name, is based in the Negev desert on the border with Egypt and Jordan and composed of both male and female soldiers of both Jewish and Arab descent.

The battalion has been 70% female since 2009.

Soldiers from the Karakal battalion prepare for a graduation march near the Israeli-Egyptian border near Azoz, Israel. All photographs: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images

The Karakal Battalion was founded in 2000 conceding to public pressures for the creation of an intensive combat unit for girls.

The battalion derives it name after a desert cat of the same name whose gender is barely distinguishable, and the battalion number signifies the number of women soldiers who fell during the time of the Palmach elite strike force in the 1940s.

The woman soldiers are all volunteers, and must go through two days of mental examinations and physical challenges before joining.

The course is strenuous and identical to that of any other exclusively male battalion.

The combat soldiers continuously face life-threatening situations. All the military tasks habitually performed by the Karakal soldiers demand the utmost commitment, resolution, alertness, vigilance, and resourcefulness.

Since the last 1.5 years; since the fall of longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Karakal’s usual patrolling area near Egypt has become a hotbed of militant activity.

The battalion took part in safeguarding Israeli civilians and troops during the 2005 evacuation of Gaza.

While many troops see Karakal as a publicity stunt and a sop to the feminists, the unit has performed well and has a reputation as a no-nonsense and reliable outfit.

A soldier from the Karakal battalion celebrate after finishing a graduation march near the Israeli-Egyptian border

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