Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the Israel Defense Forces, the combined military forces of Israel.
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The Schmooze Wanted: Israeli Soldiers’ Sperm
Getty Images Soldiers serving in combat units in the Israel Defense Forces are now being asked to make another sacrifice: donating their sperm. Israeli parents seeking sperm donors at the Rambam Medical Center have shown a noticeable preference for the sperm of combat soldiers in the wake of the Gaza conflict. In recent weeks, nearly…
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Breaking News Israel Seeks To Get Soldier’s Body for Burial
The Israeli government is making every effort to retrieve the body of Sgt. Oron Shaul for burial, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told the slain soldier’s family. “It’s obvious to us that Oron’s body is in the hands of Hamas, and we’re making every effort to retrieve it,” Yaalon said Sunday during a meeting with…
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Breaking News South Africa May Charge Jews Who Serve in Israeli Army
South African authorities said they will prosecute citizens who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The warning earlier this week came after a pro-Palestinian advocacy group opened a case against Dean Goodson of Cape Town, who reportedly is serving in the IDF. Action Forum in Support of Palestine told the South Africa Independent online that…
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Israel News Sex, War, Social Media and the Israeli Imagination
The war in Gaza, known in Israel as Operation Strong Cliff, may have wound down. But memories still linger of the parallel Facebook campaign called Girls Keeping the Cliff Strong. The Facebook campaign, which drew tens of thousands of clicks during the fighting, highlights the often troubling implications during war time of the relationship between…
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Opinion An IDF Reservist on Life at the (Protective) Edge
This was posted this morning at Haaretz in Hebrew by Niv Shtendel, an Israeli blogger, filmmaker, author, film and television critic for Haaretz and Maariv. It describes his experience of — and impressions of — Operation Protective Edge as a middle-aged reservist called up to the front. My translation, so any mistakes are mine alone….
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Breaking News Thousands Attend Funeral of Fallen IDF Soldier Hadar Goldin
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Lt. Hadar Goldin, the soldier who was declared dead after first being feared kidnapped. Friends and family of Goldin, along with ordinary Israelis, converged on the military cemetery in Kfar Saba, in central Israel, for the rite on Sunday afternoon. “I didn’t expect you to leave me so…
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Breaking News Israel Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon Tweets About Hadar Goldin
Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon tweeted out condolences to the family of Hadar Goldin, the IDF soldier believed to be held captive by Hamas but who was killed in action on Friday. Goldin, a British-born member of the Givati Brigade, was a distant relative of Ya’alon’s. The 23-year-old had gotten engaged only weeks before the…
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Breaking News Israel Withdraws Most of Its Troops To Areas Around Gaza Border
The Israel Defense Forces has withdrawn most of its troops from Gaza to areas around the border, Israeli media reported. Despite the withdrawals on Sunday, there has been no order to end the Gaza operation, in its 26th day. The IDF spokesperson said in a tweet that “As operation Protective Edge moves to the next…
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