The Israeli army is expecting so many more young women to volunteer for combat duty that it is set to inaugurate a fourth mixed-gender combat battalion next month.

Nearly 1,200 young Israeli women are expected to volunteer for combat duty this year, with most serving in combat-intelligence units, a smaller number going to the artillery corps and a handful opting for infantry.

The IDF already fields three mixed-gender combat battalions – Caracal, Bardalas and the Lions of Jordan – all of which are tasked with guarding Israel’s borders with Egypt and Jordan.

The fourth mixed-gender battalion is as yet unnamed, but will be deployed to the Jordan Valley.