162nd Division (Israel)

162nd Ha-Plada Division
162nd Ha-Plada Division
	162nd Division insignia
Active	1971–present
Country	Israel
Allegiance	Israel Defense Forces
Branch	Armored Corps
Type	Armor
Size	Division
Part of	Southern Command
Engagements	Yom Kippur War; 1982 Lebanon War; 2006 Lebanon War; 2014 Gaza War; Israel–Hamas War;

The 162nd Division "Ha-Plada", also known as the Steel Formation (Hebrew: עֻצְבַּת הַפְּלָדָה, Utzbat HaPlada), is a division in the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to Southern Command.

History

The division played a critical role in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Sinai, under Avraham "Bren" Adan.

Although attached to the Central Command at the time, the 162nd Division participated in battles against Hezbollah, from July to August 2006, in the western sector of southern Lebanon and north of Bint Jbeil. The division reached the strategic Litani River, that separates Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon from central Lebanon. The division participated in skirmishes with Hezbollah as late as September 27.^[1]

Gaza war

On February 17, 2025, the Israel Defense Forces announced that the 162nd Division had officially concluded its nearly 15-month-long operations in the Gaza Strip.^[2] Responsibility for the military's buffer zone in the northern part of the Strip was handed over to the 252nd Division.^[2] According to the IDF, the 162nd Division suffered the loss of 265 soldiers during the ground offensive in Gaza, during which it destroyed numerous tunnels and eliminated thousands of Hamas operatives.^[2] The southern portion of the buffer zone, as well as the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border, remains under the responsibility of the Gaza Division.^[2]

Division organization 2024

162nd Division "HaPlada/Steel"
- 5th Infantry Brigade "HaSharon" (Reserve)
  - 7020th Infantry Battalion "Nachshon"
  - 8110th Infantry Battalion "Yoav"
  - 8111th Infantry Battalion "Yehonathan"
  - (6555th) Reconnaissance Battalion
  - 5505th Logistic Battalion
  - Signal Company
- 84th Infantry Brigade "Givati"
  - 424th Infantry Battalion "Shaked"
  - 432nd Infantry Battalion "Tzabar"
  - 435th Infantry Battalion "Rotem"
  - (846th) Reconnaissance Battalion "Shualey Shimshon/Samson's Foxes"
  - 8170th Combat Engineering Battalion (Reserve)
  - Logistic Battalion
  - Signal Company
- 401st Armored Brigade "I'kvot haBarzel/Iron Trails"
  - 9th Armored Battalion "Eshet"
  - 46th Armored Battalion "Shelah"
  - 52nd Armored Battalion "HaBok'im/The Breachers"
  - 601st Combat Engineering Battalion "Asaf"
  - Logistic Battalion
  - Reconnaissance Company
  - 298th Signal Company "Eyal"
- 933rd Infantry Brigade "Nahal"
  - 50th Infantry Battalion "Bazelet"
  - 931st Infantry Battalion "Shaham"
  - 932nd Infantry Battalion "Granit"
  - (934th) Reconnaissance Battalion "Topaz"
  - 7107th Combat Engineering Battalion "Raz" (Reserve)
  - Logistic Battalion
  - 7354th Signal Company "Bareket"
- 215th Artillery Brigade "Amud HaEsh/Pillar of Fire"
  - 55th Artillery Battalion "Dragon" (M109 "Doher" self-propelled howitzers)
  - 402nd Artillery Battalion "Reshef" (M109 "Doher" self-propelled howitzers)
  - 403rd Artillery Battalion "Eyal" (Reserve) (M109 "Doher" self-propelled howitzers)
  - 531st Artillery Battalion (Reserve) (M109 "Doher" self-propelled howitzers)
  - 5353rd Target Acquisition Battalion
  - 8194th Artillery Battalion (Reserve) (M270 "Menatetz" MLRS)
  - Signal Company
- Division Logistic Brigade
  - Maintenance & Technology Battalion
    - Maintenance Company A
    - Maintenance Company B
    - Assistance Company
  - Movement Control Company
  - Ammunition Company
  - Medical Company
  - 2x Supply platoons
  - 3x Control squads
- Division Signal Battalion "Afik"