| Unit 621 | |
|---|---|
| Yehidat Egoz | |
 Egoz Unit insignia | |
| Active | 1995–present |
| Country | Israel |
| Branch |  Israeli Ground Forces |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role | Anti-guerilla warfare Special reconnaissance Direct action |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Central Command 98th Division 89th Brigade |
| Engagements | South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) Second Intifada 2006 Lebanon War Operation Protective Edge Hamas-Israel War (2023–) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Classified |
| Notable commanders | Erez Zuckerman |
The Egoz Unit (Hebrew: יחידת אגוז, romanized: Yehidat Egoz, lit. "Walnut Unit", Egoz being the acronym for "anti-guerrilla and small-scale warfare"),[1][2] officially Unit 621, is an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commando unit specializing in anti-guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, and direct action. It is a part of the IDF Central Command's 89th Brigade (commonly referred to as the commando brigade).[3]
The unit specializes in combat in dense terrain, fieldcraft, camouflage, and guerrilla warfare—close-range fighting where the fighter's skill and professionalism are critical to success. The unit operates in all terrains and theaters, focusing mainly on the northern sector.[4]
Egoz also has a unique ordnance platoon, tasked with developing creative solutions and technological innovations to address new challenges encountered on the battlefield and to provide defense against new methods of enemy attack.[5]
The unit's memorial site, commemorating its various incarnations, is located at Nabi Hazuri in the northern Golan Heights.[6]
In its first iteration, the unit was established in 1956 as Egoz Reconnaissance Unit, a Northern Command reconnaissance unit, and operated until the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1974.[7]
- ^ "יחידת אגוז: חטיבת הקומנדו – הכל על היחידה – איך מתקבלים" [Egoz Unit: the commando brigade – everything about the unit – how to be admitted in]. adrenalin-israel.co.il (in Hebrew). 12 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ Danieli, Michal (1 July 2011). "אגוז: יחידת הקומנדו של זרוע היבשה" [Egoz: The commando unit of the ground force]. Mako (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (7 July 2015). "IDF to unite elite units in new commando brigade". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Egoz Unit". IDF. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ "IDF Unit Innovation". Defense News. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ "Nabi Hazuri Memorial Site". Israel Government Portal. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Barak, Amir (1999). Egoz: The History of an Elite Unit. Ma'ariv Publishing. p. 12.