Givati Brigade The Givati Brigade ( , literally " Hill Brigade " or " Highland Brigade " in English ) is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces , and serves as its amphibious force . Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets . The Brigade ' s symbol is the fox , alluding to Shualei Shimshon ( שועלי שמשון , " lit . " Samson ' s Foxes ) , a unit in the 1948 Arab - Israeli War . History . Givati was formed in December 1947 and placed under the command of Shimon Avidan . At the start of the 1948 War of Independence , the brigade was charged with operations in the central region of Israel , participating in operations " Hametz " , " Barak " and " Pleshet " . As the war entered its second stage , Givati became the 5th Brigade , was moved to the south , and concentrated mainly around Gedera , Gan Yavne and Be ' er Tuvia . One battalion fought on the Jerusalem front , participating in Operation Nachshon and the Battles of Latrun . When Israel declared independence , Givati consisted of 5 battalions , with notable commanders such as Jehuda Wallach ( 51st Battalion ) , Ya ' akov Pri ( 52nd Battalion ) , Yitzhak Pundak ( 53rd Battalion ) , Tzvi Tzur ( 54th Battalion ) and Eitan Livni ( 55th Battalion ) . A sixth battalion ( the 57th ) was founded on May 30 , 1948 from Irgun veterans , in preparation for Operation Pleshet . The brigade or parts thereof subsequently participated in the Battle of Nitzanim , Operation An - Far , Operation Yoav , etc . It was converted into a reserve brigade in 1956 . 1980s . The Givati was reestablished as a mechanized infantry brigade and then proceeded on to amphibious warfare in 1983 . In 1986 the brigade ' s purple beret was officially approved . Since 1999 it serves under Israel ' s Southern Command . 2002 - 2003 . The Givati Brigade served under the Southern Command and was deployed in the Gaza Strip . The Brigade was awarded a medal of honor for its service in the Gaza Strip during the last two years of the Al - Aqsa Intifada , when under the command of Imad Fares . Under Fares ' command , the Givati Brigade carried out thousands of operations in the Gaza Strip . 2004 . The brigade continued its operations in the Gaza Strip under the command of Eyal Eisenberg and the new head of Southern Command , Dan Harel . Givati ' s Recon Battalion , the " Dolev " combat engineering platoon and the Bedouin scouts battalion , won a " recommendation of honor " , mainly for their activities against Rafah ' s smuggling tunnels . Givati forces , combined with a special combat engineering tunnels unit , and IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozer s , managed to suppress most of Rafah ' s tunnels . On May 11 and May 12 , 2004 , two armored personnel carrier s of Givati ' s " Dolev " engineering battalion were destroyed by Palestinian militants . The two separate attacks , in Gaza City ' s Zeitoun neighbourhood and the Philadelphi Route near Rafah and the Egypt ian border , claimed the lives of 11 soldiers . Islamic Jihad militants captured some of the remains , causing outrage in Israel . Following international pressure and further Israeli operations in Zeitoun , the bodies of soldiers were returned to Israel . In the Zeitoun incident , UNRWA ambulances were used as transport by healthy Palestinian fighters . In an interview with Haaretz , Israel ' s Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz also said that UNRWA ' s ambulances were used by Palestinian militants in order to smuggle some of the remains of IDF soldiers killed in Zaitoun neighbourhood in Gaza on May 11 , 2004 . UNRWA has described the May 11 incident as a hijacking . After two more soldiers were killed in Rafah , Israel launched Operation Rainbow . This involved Givati forces reinforced by Golani Brigade soldiers with IDF Achzarit HAPCs , a battalion of officers from the class - commanders school and several IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozer s . The stated aim of Operation Rainbow was to destroy the terror infrastructure of Rafah , destroy smuggling tunnels and stop illegal missile shipment . The brigade ' s " Shaked " battalion , under the command of a Lt . Col . " Ofer " ( surname not publicized ) was rocked by scandals in the second half of 2004 while stationed in the southern Gaza Strip . Two of the battalion ' s four company commanders were removed , although one was later exonerated . Captain " R " , a Druze officer was tried for killing Iman al - Hams , a 13 - year - old Palestinian girl , in Rafah in October 2004 . Captain " R " was acquitted of all charges by a military court . Another officer , Captain " N " , was removed after Palestinian gunmen infiltrated the Morag settlement and killed three soldiers . in September 2004 . 2005 . On September 12 , the Givati Brigade left the Gaza Strip as part of Israel ' s unilateral disengagement plan , one month after the evacuation of approximately 8 , 000 Jewish settlers living in 22 communities in the Strip . It marked an end to the 38 year IDF presence in the Gaza Strip . Today , two battalions are stationed outside the Strip , while the third battalion is positioned on the northern border . 2006 . On June 27 , in response to Hamas ' kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit , the IDF started an offensive in the Gaza Strip to repel the continuous rockets being fired into the Israeli town outside of Gaza and to pressure Hamas to release Shalit . Givati , together with the Golani Brigade , Engineering Corps and the Armored Corps , participated in Operation " Summer Rains . " However , Israel failed to achieve the release of Shalit , and a November 26 ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian groups forced Israel to withdraw its forces . Captain " R " , the former Misayat Shaked company commander who was accused in " confirming kill " of 13 years - old Iman al - Hams in Rafah in October 2004 , and was acquitted in court , received NIS 80 , 000 in compensation from the state , according to a December 14 Ha ' aretz report . The Givati was the first brigade to receive the new IMI Tavor TAR - 21 assault rifle , in August 2006 . 2007 . As of 2007 , the Givati brigade is organized into three main battalions : Shaked , Tzabar , and Rotem , in addition to associated reconnaissance , engineering , and other units . 2008 . Givati brigade participated in Operation Hot Winter . They also participated in the ground phase of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza ( ended in 2009 ) . Of the IDF brigades , the Givati penetrated the deepest into Gaza City . The brigade ' s reconnaissance battalion entered the Tel el - Hawa neighborhood in search of Hamas operatives two days before the cease fire went into effect . An estimated 40 Palestinian gunmen were killed as dozens of apartments were swept . Hamas reportedly decided to fire the commander of the Gaza City Brigade after its forces fought against the Givati .