Samson's Foxes

Samson's Foxes ( he, שועלי שמשון, ''Shu'alei Shimshon'') was an Israeli

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unit of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was part of the 54th Battalion (commanded by

Zvi Zur Tzvi Tzur ( he, צבי צור, also transliterated Zvi Tsur, 1923 – 28 December 2004) was an Israeli officer who served as the IDF's 6th Chief of Staff (1961–1963). Biography Early life Tzur was born in the Zaslav in the Soviet Union (n ...

) of the

Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily per ...

. The unit participated in various battles on the southern front, including Operation GYS and the

Battles of the Separation Corridor The Battles of the Separation Corridor ( he, קְרָבוֹת רְצוּעַת הַנִּתּוּק, ''Kravot Retzu'at HaNituk'') were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian army in Operation Yoav, an ...

Uri Avnery Uri Avnery ( he, אורי אבנרי, also transliterated Uri Avneri; 10 September 1923 – 20 August 2018) was an Israeli writer, politician, and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement. A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat for two ...

, later to become an outspoken advocate of Israeli-Palestinian Peace and a personal friend of

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

, was a member of this unit and wrote a song called "Samson's Foxes" which was its unofficial anthem. The modern Givati brigade named its reconnaissance companies after the 1940s unit in 1983. The companies were consolidated into a reconnaissance battalion of the same name in 2001, once again subordinate to the Givati Brigade. Most of its work is confidential, though it is known to operate under the IDF's