War of Independence

IDF Chief Zamir says current soldiers are greatest generation since War of Independence

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir praises soldiers as the greatest since the War of Independence and vows to eliminate threats to northern Israel.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visits the 36th Division in southern Lebanon, published April 29, 2026.
The hat of Moshe Silberschmidt, the last commander of Gush Etzion, and the wool sweater of Palmach fighter and combat medic Uriel Ofek, April 21, 2026.

'Not just history': Belongings of Gush Etzion heroes to be publicly displayed for first time

Makeshift pistol built by 16-year-old Uzi Aharoni in 1948, to be displayed at the HaEmek Museum in the Galilee, northern Israel, April 21, 2026.

Makeshift pistol from Israel's War of Independence to be displayed at Ha'emek Museum for first time

IDF Private Dov Permat who was killed in battle in the Malkiya area in 1948

IDF recovers remains of soldier killed in War of Independence after 78 years


On this day: First ever election to the Knesset held in 1949

David Ben-Gurion won the elections and became Israel's first prime minister and Chaim Weizmann became Israel's first president.

 The Knesset building, home of Israel's legislature, in Jerusalem, on November 14, 2022 (Illustrative).

Graves of 2 fallen soldiers from War of Independence found

Binyamin Eisenberg and Yitzhak Rubinstein were killed in the battle for Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.

 Private Binyamin Aryeh (York) Eisenberg (left) and Private Yitzhak Rubinstein (right) were KIA in 1948, the battle of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.

Rolf Eden, Germany’s leading playboy who fought for Israel, dies at 92

Eden settled in West Berlin in 1956, beginning a career in entertainment that gave him the reputation as an “eternal playboy” and “king of nightlife” in Berlin. 

 German Nightclub owner Rolf Eden with two unidentified girls pose on the red carpet before the German Film Prize (Lola) ceremony in Berlin April 27, 2012.

The death of a unique Israeli ethos - opinion

The lofty ethos that motivated thousands of soldiers to risk their lives in the face of the enemy is now clearly dead.

 SIMCHA GOLDIN, father of late IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, stands outside IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, continuing the campaign for the return of the remains of his son and comrade, Oron Shaul.

Israel’s place on the global scale 74 years later - opinion

After almost three-quarters of a century, it’s time for us to recognize that our state is no longer just a local power – we must venture further and consider our impact on the whole world.

 A WOMAN holds up a smartphone as the Israel Air Force aerobatic display team fly in formation over the coastline as part of the celebrations for last year’s Independence Day.

The story of the daring pilot Zahara Levitov

Zahara Levitov was a Palmach fighter and among the first women to fly planes in the newly established IDF, but her service was cut short by a tragic crash.

 Zahara Levitov

Israel Independence: Remembering a failed attack on Jaffa Gate in 1948

It was like somebody watching in a theater when the plot had become complicated and unsolvable, and knowing that now the turn of the deus ex machina had arrived, except I was the one on the stage.

 JAFFA GATE, 1968.

Ukrainian resistance echoes Israel's resistance in War of Independence - opinion

The war in Ukraine has a number of similarities to the War of Independence in 1948.

 THE DAY after the State of Israel is declared in May 1948, a group of Hagana fighters, including a woman, celebrates after taking control of Jaffa.

Harold ‘Smoky’ Simon dies at 101

Mahal legend and former IAF COO Harold 'Smoky' Simon dies at the ripe age of 101

Harold “Smoky” Simon

A Jerusalem plaza has been named for David Rakia. Who is he?

Rakia, who fled Nazi Austria and took Jerusalem into his heart, soul and art, now has his own spot in the city that meant so much to him.

 David Rakia Plaza