Oketzעוקץ
How to get into Oketz, and what its training looks like
The canine unit: its fighters go into action with trained dogs alongside commando forces.
Profile 82+16 to 18 monthsMen and womenRed
Oketz asks for a medical profile of 82 and up.
The medical profile runs from 21 to 97.
- Open to
- Men and women
- Medical profile
- 82 and up
- Training
- 16 to 18 months
- Where it serves
- Mitkan Adam, the IDF's base near Modi'in.
- Commitment
- A year of career service, for men.
Men are drafted once a year, in December. They do about 3 months of basic training at the paratroopers' base, then a commando series and a first phase of counter-terror, parachuting, weapons, camouflage, underground and urban warfare and navigation, and meet their dogs after about 8 months.
Women do basic training to Rifleman 05 at the border defense school, then advanced training and the specialist training with the dogs. The unit serves at Mitkan Adam.
The way into Oketz runs through 4 steps.
- 1Rating the unit high in the preferences questionnaire, in 11th grade.
- 2For men: a physical screening in March or April of 12th grade, on one of two dates, or an exposure day and the unit's try-out.
- 3Interview week, for those who finished the pilot, Matkal, Shayetet or naval officers try-outs and were not taken.
- 4For women: the women fighters' screening.
Training at Oketz lasts 16 to 18 months.
- Basic training at the paratroopers' base
- The commando series and the first phase of unit training
- Specialist training with the dogs
16 to 18 months in all, for men.
The IDF's guides say what to train for before the screening.
The IDF's guide to Yom Sayarot says to start training at least three months before it, with 3 to 5 aerobic sessions and 2 to 3 strength sessions a week, and to keep hard training out of the week before it.
- AerobicSun
- StrengthMon
- AerobicTue
- StrengthWed
- AerobicThu
- RestFri
- RestSat
An example week at the lowest the IDF's guide suggests: 3 aerobic sessions and 2 of strength, the kind changing from day to day.
The full guide to preparing: profile, Dapar, Yom Sayarot and a training routine
The 2 roles here each have a page on the IDF's site for future soldiers.
- Oketz combat soldierOther units
- Oketz combat soldierGround Forces
Units to read about alongside Oketz.
Lotarלוט״רThe fighters and instructors of the IDF's counter-terror warfare school.Profile 82+MenRed
Yahalomיהל״םThe Combat Engineering Corps' special missions unit, for tunnels, explosives and breaching.Profile 82+about 8 monthsMenLight grey
DuvdevanדובדבןThe Commando Brigade's counter-terror unit, working mostly in Judea and Samaria, in the open and undercover.Profile 82+about 16 monthsMenRed
Frequently asked questions
What does Oketz ask for?
The IDF's page asks for a profile of 82 and up.
How do you get into Oketz?
Rating the unit high in the preferences questionnaire, in 11th grade. For men: a physical screening in March or April of 12th grade, on one of two dates, or an exposure day and the unit's try-out. Interview week, for those who finished the pilot, Matkal, Shayetet or naval officers try-outs and were not taken. For women: the women fighters' screening.
How long is training at Oketz?
16 to 18 months: Basic training at the paratroopers' base; The commando series and the first phase of unit training; Specialist training with the dogs.
Can women serve in Oketz?
Yes. The IDF's page opens the role to men and women.
This page was written from the IDF's pages for future soldiers, read on 6 November 2026.
- The IDF's page for the role: Oketz combat soldier
- The IDF's page for the role: Oketz combat soldier
- The IDF's full guide to Yom Sayarot
- Preparing the body for Yom Sayarot
- Try-outs
- The medical profile
The requirements and screenings change from time to time, and the IDF's page for each role is the one that counts.
Photo credits
- Israel Defense Forces, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons