Operation Kadesh records released for 70th anniversary
The IDF Archive at Israel’s Ministry of Defense is launching a dedicated website marking 70 years since Operation Kadesh, the Sinai Campaign. The ministry describes it as the most comprehensive official website on the war published to date, featuring more than 4,500 photographs, documents and maps, many previously unreleased.
Newly revealed materials include remarks on Gaza by David Ben-Gurion, then prime minister and defense minister:
“We must take it […] If I believed in a miracle, I would want it to be swallowed up by the sea.”
Warning about the next war, Ben-Gurion said:
“Tel Aviv will be bombed, Haifa will be bombed, and people will be killed. Not combatants, but women and children.”
Then-Defense Ministry Director General Shimon Peres wrote about Ben-Gurion’s outlook:
“Our victory in battle does not necessarily mean it is the last battle, but an Arab victory could be the final victory.”
The collection documents preparations for the war, political and military deliberations and decisions, combat operations, and events during and after the campaign.
It includes records of the capture of Gaza and Rafah, an operation to rescue 65 Jews from Port Said, Air Force operational reviews, rare maps and photographs, and senior defense officials’ conclusions and lessons learned.
The website also profiles 149 commanders who began their service during the War of Independence and formed part of the IDF’s founding command cadre.
Explore the official Hebrew archive.
Haredi recruits assigned to combat support roles
A total of 285 young ultra-Orthodox men enlisted over the past week and were placed in combat support roles, the IDF says.
Additional draft days for ultra-Orthodox soldiers, including for combat units, are planned over the next two months as part of the November-December enlistment period.
“The units and induction bases have prepared to receive the new recruits and provide the necessary framework to accommodate their way of life,” the army says.
The IDF says it welcomes those joining its ranks and will continue working to expand the integration of ultra-Orthodox men into “meaningful military service, while preserving their way of life and out of a commitment to the security of the state and the resilience of Israeli society.”
IDF reports stone-throwing during Qalqilya operation
Several terrorists threw stones at IDF forces during operational activity in Qalqilya on Saturday night, in the Ephraim Brigade’s area, the IDF Spokesperson says.
The forces fired at one terrorist to remove the threat, and a hit was identified, according to the statement. There were no casualties among IDF forces.
Be’eri siren test scheduled for 18:05
Home Front Command will conduct the test today, Sunday, in the Be’eri area, the IDF Spokesperson says.
In the event of a real alert, an alert will be issued through the Home Front Command app and supplementary alert systems.
False identification behind Zar’it and Shomera alerts
Hostile aircraft infiltration sirens sounded early this morning in the Zar’it and Shomera areas. The alerts were subsequently determined to have resulted from a false identification.
