Samson's Foxes
Encyclopedia
Samson's Foxes was an Israel
i commando
unit of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was part of the 54th Battalion (commanded by Zvi Zur) of the Givati Brigade
. The unit participated is various battles on the southern front, including Operation GYS
and the Battles of the Separation Corridor
.
Uri Avnery
, later to become an outspoken advocate of Israeli-Palestinian Peace and a personal friend of Yasser Arafat
, was a member of this unit and wrote a song called "Samson's Foxes" which was its unofficial anthem.
A reconnaissance battalion of the same name was reestablished in 2002, once again subordinate to the Givati Brigade. Most of its work is confidential, though it is known to operate under the IDF' Gaza
territorial command.
The unit's name is derived from the Bible
, where the Judge
Samson
is described as having attached torches to the tails of three hundred fox
es, leaving the panicked beasts to run through the fields of the Philistines
, burning all in their wake.
The fox logo of the Israeli Army's Southern Command is derived from the same story.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
unit of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was part of the 54th Battalion (commanded by Zvi Zur) of the Givati Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
. The unit participated is various battles on the southern front, including Operation GYS
Operation GYS
Operation GYS, or Operation Gayis , short for Golani, Yiftach, Sergei —the three participating brigades—was an Israeli military and logistical operation conducted during the second truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its objective was to create a corridor to the Israeli enclave in the northern...
and the Battles of the Separation Corridor
Battles of the Separation Corridor
The Battles of the Separation Corridor were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian army in Operation Yoav, and were the centerpiece of the operation. They took place throughout all of Yoav , in the strip of land between the Israeli-held Negev enclave...
.
Uri Avnery
Uri Avnery
Uri Avnery is an Israeli writer and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement.A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat in the Knesset from 1965–74 and 1979–81...
, later to become an outspoken advocate of Israeli-Palestinian Peace and a personal friend of Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, was a member of this unit and wrote a song called "Samson's Foxes" which was its unofficial anthem.
A reconnaissance battalion of the same name was reestablished in 2002, once again subordinate to the Givati Brigade. Most of its work is confidential, though it is known to operate under the IDF' Gaza
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
territorial command.
The unit's name is derived from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, where the Judge
Biblical judges
A biblical judge is "a ruler or a military leader, as well as someone who presided over legal hearings."...
Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
is described as having attached torches to the tails of three hundred fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, leaving the panicked beasts to run through the fields of the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
, burning all in their wake.
The fox logo of the Israeli Army's Southern Command is derived from the same story.