- "Givati" redirects here. For the moshav, see Giv'ati
Giv'ati is a moshav in southern Israel. Located near Ashdod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 781.The moshav was founded by IDF veterans and Olim from Egypt on the ruins of Beit Daras...
.
The
Givati Brigade functions as the amphibious force and is one of the
infantry brigadesThe Israeli Infantry Corps is a corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. It is a maneuvering corps which primarily relies on infantry troops. It includes several regular and reserve service units and brigades which are operatively commanded by the IDF’s regional commands:-Overview:The corps moves to...
in the
Israel Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets. The Brigade's symbol is the fox, alluding to Shualei Shimshon (שועלי שמשון,
lit. SamsonSamson, Shimshon : שמשון, Standard Šimšon Tiberian ; meaning "of the sun" – perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty, or "[One who] Serves [God]") or Shamshoun شمشون or Samson Σαμψών is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned...
's Foxes), a unit in the
1948 Arab-Israeli WarThe 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known by Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation and by Palestinians as the Catastrophe , was the first in a series of wars fought between the newly declared State of Israel and its Arab neighbours in the long-running Arab-Israeli conflict.The war...
.
Units
- (51st "HaBokim HaRishonim" Infantry Battalion was transferred to the Golani Brigade in 1956)
- 424th "Shaked"/"Almond" Infantry Battalion
- 432nd "Tzabar"/"Cactus" Infantry Battalion
- 435th "Rotem"/"Furze" Infantry Battalion
- 846th "Shualey Shimshon"/"Samson's Foxes" Special Troops Battalion
- "Dikla"/"Palm" Anti-Tank Company
- "Dolev"/"Plane tree" Engineer Company
- "Shualey Shimshon"/"Samson's Foxes" Reconnaissance Company
- "Maor"/"source of light" Signal Company
History
The Givati formed in December 1947 and placed under the command of
Shimon AvidanShimon Avidan , born Shimon Koch, was an Israeli soldier and officer, the commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. He was the operational commander of Operation Barak, Operation Nachshon, Operation Pleshet and Operation An-Far...
. It was responsible for the central region in the beginning of the
1948 Palestine WarThe 1948 Palestine war refers to the events that happened in Palestine between the vote on the partition plan of Palestine on November 30, 1947, to the end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949.Historians divide this into two phases :...
, participating in
Operation HametzOperation Hametz was a Jewish operation towards the end of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was launched at the end of April 1948 with the objective of capturing villages inland from Jaffa and establishing a blockade around the town....
,
Operation BarakOperation Barak was a Haganah offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army...
and
Operation PleshetOperation Pleshet , named for the geographical region where it took place, was an Israeli military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out from May 29 to June 3, 1948, in the Isdud/Ad Halom area of the southern front, against the Egyptian Army...
. As the war entered its second stage, Givati became the 5th Brigade, was moved to the south, and concentrated mainly around
GederaGedera, or Gdera is a town in the Center District of Israel. It is located between the cities of Rehovot to the north, Ashdod to the west.-History:...
,
Gan YavneGan Yavne is a in the Center District of Israel, located near the city of Ashdod. It was founded in 1931 and declared a local council in 1950.Gan Yavne lies east of the Tel-Aviv–Ashkelon highway...
and
Be'er TuviaBe'er Tuvia is a moshav in the Southern District of Israel near the city of Kiryat Malakhi. It is affiliated with the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council....
. One battalion fought on the Jerusalem front, including
Operation NachshonOperation Nachshon was an Israeli military operation during the 1947-1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine. Lasting from 5-20 April 1948, its objective was to open up the Jerusalem road that was blockaded by Palestinian Arabs and to supply food and water to the Jewish community of Jerusalem...
and the
Battles of LatrunThe Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War....
.
When Israel declared independence, Givati consisted of 5 battalions, with notable commanders such as Jeuda Wallach (51st Battalion), Ya'akov Perry (52nd Battalion),
Yitzhak PundakYitzhak Pundak is a former Israeli general, diplomat and politician.-Early life:Yitzhak Pundak was born Yitzhak Fundik in Kraków, Poland and immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1933.-Military career:...
(53rd Battalion),
Tzvi TzurTzvi Tzur was an Israeli soldier who served as the IDF's 6th Chief of Staff.-Early life:...
(54th Battalion) and
Eitan LivniYeruham "Eitan" Livni was a Revisionist Zionist activist, Irgun commander and Israeli politician, father of Israeli politician Tzipora Malka "Tzipi" Livni, who is the current leader of the largest party in the Knesset, Kadima....
(57th Battalion). A sixth battalion (the 57th) was founded on May 30, 1948 from
IrgunIrgun was a militant Zionist group that operated in the British mandate of Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah...
veterans, in preparation for
Operation PleshetOperation Pleshet , named for the geographical region where it took place, was an Israeli military operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was carried out from May 29 to June 3, 1948, in the Isdud/Ad Halom area of the southern front, against the Egyptian Army...
. The brigade or parts thereof subsequently participated in the
Battle of NitzanimThe Battle of Nitzanim was a battle fought between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, on June 7, 1948...
,
Operation An-FarOperation An-Far was a military operation launched by Israel's Givati Brigade on the night of July 8–9 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It's objectives were to control approaches in southern Judea blocking the advance of the Egyptian army...
,
Operation YoavOperation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15 October - 22 October, 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba-Hebron-Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the...
, etc. It was converted into a reserve brigade in 1956.
1980's
The Givati was reestablished as a mechanized infantry brigade and then proceeded on to amphibious warfare in 1983. Since 1999 it serves under the
Southern CommandThe Israeli Southern Command , often abbreviated to Padam is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the Negev, the Arabah, and Eilat...
(
Pikud Darom).
2002-2003
The Givati Brigade served under the Southern Command and was deployed in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
. The Brigade was awarded a medal of honor for its service in the Gaza Strip during the last two years of the
Al-Aqsa IntifadaThe Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
under the command of
Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field...
Imad FaresImad Fares is an Israeli Druze, a former Brig. General in the Israeli Defense Force. He won acclaim as the commander of the Givati Brigade from 2001–2003....
. Under Fares' command, the Givati Brigade carried out thousands of operations in the Gaza Strip.
2004
The brigade continued its operations in the Gaza Strip under the command of new Brigadier General
Eyal EisenbergBrigadier-General Eyal Eisenberg is an Israeli army officer. He is the commander of the Israel Defense Forces Gaza Division, and led it during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.- Military career :...
and the new head of Southern Command,
Dan HarelAluf Dan Harel is a general in the Israel Defense Forces and is currently the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the IDF. Born in Haifa, Harel began his military career in 1974 at the Israeli Air Force flight school, but in 1976 switched to the Israeli Artillery Corps...
. Givati's Recon Battalion, attached with
Dolev combat engineeringCombat engineering is a combat arms role of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of engineering by troops in peace and war, but specifically in combat...
platoon and the
BedouinThe Bedouin, , are a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the Arabian Desert...
scouts battalion, won a
recommendation of honor, mainly for their activities against
RafahRafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, but also extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,000 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. It serves as the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
's smuggling tunnels. Givati forces, combined with a special combat engineering tunnel's unit, and
IDF Caterpillar D9The Israeli Armored CAT D9 — nicknamed Doobi — is a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer that was modified by the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries to increase the survivability of the armored bulldozer in hostile environments and enable it...
armoured bulldozers, managed to suppress most of Rafah's tunnels.
On May 11 and May 12, two armored personnel carriers of Givati's
Dolev engineering battalion were destroyed by Palestinian militants. The two separate attacks, in
GazaGaza is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 410,000, making it the largest city under the control of the Palestinian National Authority....
City's Zeitoun neighbourhood and the
Philadelphi RouteThe Philadelphi Route was an IDF code name for the strip of land along the border between Egypt and Gaza Strip. Under the Oslo Accords, the portion in the Gaza Strip remained under direct Israeli military control...
near
RafahRafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, but also extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,000 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. It serves as the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
and the
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
ian border, claimed the lives of 11 soldiers.
Islamic JihadIslamic Jihad may refer to:* Egyptian Islamic Jihad* Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, group with Palestinian personnel* Islamic Jihad Organization, active mostly in Lebanon* Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, group with Lebanese personnel...
militants captured some of the remains, causing outrage in Israel. Following international pressure and further Israeli operations in Zeitoun, the bodies of soldiers were returned to Israel.
In the Zeitoun incident, UNRWA ambulances were used as transport by healthy Palestinian fighters. In an interview with
HaaretzHaaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, Israel's Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz' is an Israeli politician and former soldier who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. He formerly served as former Minister of Defense, Minister of Transportation and as the 16th Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Biography:Born in Tehran , Mofaz...
also said that UNRWA's ambulances were used by Palestinian militants in order to smuggle some of the remains of IDF soldiers killed in Zaitoun neighbourhood in Gaza on May 11, 2004. UNRWA has described the May 11 incident as a hijacking.
After two more soldiers were killed in
RafahRafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, but also extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,000 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. It serves as the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
launched
Operation RainbowOperation Rainbow is a controversial military operation which began on May 18 2004 and ended on May 23 2004 in Rafah , the Gaza Strip...
. This involved Givati forces reinforced by
Golani BrigadeThe Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade which was formed on February 22, 1948 when the Levanoni Brigade in the Galilee split into the 1st Golani Brigade and the 2nd Carmeli Brigade...
soldiers with
IDF AchzaritThe Achzarit is a heavily armored armored personnel carrier manufactured by the Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance.-History:...
HAPCs, a battlion of officers from the class-commanders school and several
IDF Caterpillar D9The Israeli Armored CAT D9 — nicknamed Doobi — is a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer that was modified by the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries to increase the survivability of the armored bulldozer in hostile environments and enable it...
armoured bulldozerThe armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military...
s. The stated aim of Operation Rainbow was to destroy the terror infrastructure of Rafah, destroy smuggling tunnels and stop illegal missile shipment.
The brigade's
Shaked battalion, under the command of a Lt. Col. "Ofer" (surname not publicized) was rocked by scandals in the second half of 2004 while stationed in the southern Gaza Strip.
Two of the battalion's four company commanders were removed, although one was later exonerated. Captain "R", a
DruzeThe Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnostic, neo-Platonic and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a...
officer was tried for killing Iman al-Hams, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl, in Rafah in October 2004. Captain "R" was acquitted of all charges by a military court.
Another officer, Captain "N", was removed after Palestinian gunmen infiltrated the
MoragMorag was a moshav and an Israeli settlement in Gush Katif, in the south-west edge of the Gaza Strip, evacuated in Israel's disengagement of 2005....
settlement and
killed three soldiers in September 2004.
2005
On September 12, the Givati Brigade left the Gaza Strip as part of
Israel's unilateral disengagement planIsrael's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut") was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict...
, one month after the evacuation of approximately 8,000 Jewish settlers living in 22 communities in the Strip. It marked an end to the 38 year IDF presence in the Gaza Strip. Today, two battalions are stationed outside the Strip, while the third battalion is positioned on the northern border.
2006
On June 27, in response to Hamas' kidnapping of Corporal
Gilad ShalitGilad Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured on 25 June 2006 by Palestinian militants in a cross border raid. He was abducted through the Kerem Shalom crossing and has been held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas since...
, the IDF started an offensive in the Gaza Strip to repel the continuous rockets being fired into the Israeli town outside of Gaza and to pressure Hamas to release Shalit. Givati, together with the Golani Brigade, Engineering Corps and the Armored Corps, participated in Operation "Summer Rains."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3268283,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3285578,00.html
However, Israel failed to achieve the release of Shalit, and a November 26 ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian groups forced Israel to withdraw its forces.
Captain "R", the former Misayat Shaked company commander who was accused in "confirming kill" of 13 years-old Iman al-Hams in Rafah in October 2004, and was aquited in court, received NIS 80,000 in compensation from the state, according to a December 14 Ha'aretz report.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/697464.html
The Givati was the first brigade to receive the new
IMI Tavor TAR-21The T.A.R. 21 is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system. The name "T.A.R. 21" stands for "Tavor Assault Rifle - 21st Century". It is the standard issued weapon of the Givati Brigade and Golani Brigade , with the Nahal Brigade receiving...
assault rifle, in August 2006.
2007
As of 2007, the Givati brigade is organized into three main battalions: Shaked, Tzabar, and Rotem, in addition to associated
reconnaissanceThe Israeli Field Intelligence Corps is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters' five corps, created in April 2000, and is tasked with collecting combat intelligence. It is responsible for intelligence units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Accordingly, it is professionally...
,
engineeringThe Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.The Combat Engineering Corps beret's color is silver and their symbol features a sword on a defensive tower with a blast halo on the background...
, and other units.
2008
Givati brigade participated in
Operation Hot WinterOperation Hot Winter, also called Operation Warm Winter was an Israel Defense Forces military campaign in the Gaza Strip, launched on February 29, 2008 in response to Qassam rockets fired from the Strip by Hamas...
They also participated in the ground phase of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza (ended in 2009).
See also
External links