Israeli women take front line roles in Gaza war

One of eight Israeli units offering combat positions to women, the Bardelas Battalion has just spent two weeks in southern Gaza, the new centre of fighting in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

"To be one of the first women who gets inside (Gaza), it's a little weird" says Eliora, a soldier in the unit.

More than 200 Israeli soldiers have died since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed Israeli settlements, causing around 1,140 deaths, according to an AFP tally.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says that Israel's military response to the attack has left more than 25,700 people dead, mostly women and children.