The brigade was established approximately a year after the outbreak of the
First Intifada, in 1988, to respond to operational needs by creating a concentration of forces in an operational area. The brigade was based in central
Gaza City and tasked with guarding the city and its surrounding area, as well as securing northern
Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the
Erez crossing. Following the
Oslo Accords and the
Gaza–Jericho Agreement, beginning in 1994, the
IDF withdrew from city centers, and the brigade evacuated Gaza City and settled near
Nisanit. Today, the brigade's headquarters is located in a divisional camp near
Kibbutz Re'im. During the
Western Wall Tunnel riots, its commander, Nabia Mari, was killed. During the
Second Intifada, the brigade was involved directly in clashes with Palestinian militants, with its commander, Hamada Ghanem, killing militants himself in combat. In 2004, Colonel Avi Levi led the brigade during the
2004 Israeli operation in the northern Gaza Strip, guarding the
Erez crossing and protecting it from attacks, including the foiling of a
suicide attack, in both the Front Shield and Days of Atonement series of operations. It conducted various raids against militants to prevent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel, including in
Beit Hanoun and
Jabaliya. in 2008. It then also partook in
Operation Protective Edge, during which Battalion 969 was added to the Brigade's composition. Lieutenant General Dolev Keidar, commander of the brigade, and two personnel of the brigade were killed in combat in
Nir Am. Under Haim Cohen, the brigade saw extensive combat in the
Gaza War from day one. The Brigade arrived at the scene a few hours before the attack began after receiving new information about situation assessments. At 5 am, its commander arrived at the
Nova party, but decided not to disperse it despite warnings regarding the high number of participants and the lack of security. Shortly after, 378 people were killed and 44 were taken hostage in the largest terrorist attack in Israel's history. The commander was to be dismissed by Defense Minister
Israel Katz, but the victims' families intervened on his behalf to prevent dismissal. In April 2024, it conducted operations in
Beit Hanoun. On 10 April 2025, Omri Mashiach was appointed the commander of the brigade. The 843rd Nir Armored Battalion was established as a part of the brigade in May 2025. The battalion is stationed in the
Zikim sector and consists of regular armored companies that rotate every few months. The goal of the establishment was to reduce the reliance on reserve battalions that operated intensively in the
Gaza Strip during the Gaza War, and to establish a regular and stable array of armored fighters in the southern sector. In December 2025, it dismantled
Hamas tunnels in the
Gaza strip and killed violators of the
Gaza peace plan at the
yellow line; it destroyed further tunnels in January 2026. ==Commanders==