Duvdevan Unit
Israel Defense Forces undercover counter-terrorism and special forces unit
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan (Hebrew: דובדבן, lit. 'cherry'), is a mistaʽaravim unit in the Commando Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces.
It conducts undercover operations in urban areas, during which its members often wear civilian clothing to disguise themselves among the local Arab populace.
History
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Unit 217 was established in June 1986 to deal with "security events" in the West Bank, especially in its densely populated civilian areas. During the 2015–2016 violence wave, the unit was involved in the arrests of the killers of Eitam and Naʽama Henkin, Hafna Meir, and rabbi Yaʽakov Littman (sometimes spelled Litman) and his son. For its work during this period, Unit 217 received the Israeli Chief of Staff citation.
Roni Numa was a commander of the Duvdevan Unit before being promoted to aluf (major general).
Upon joining the Commando Brigade, Unit 217 expanded its operational activities.
According to the documentary, Who Killed Shireen?, in 2022 a member of the Duvdevan unit killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was reporting for Al Jazeera in Jenin.
Organization and mission
The unit is part of the "Oz" 89th Commando Brigade (a brigade dedicated solely to special operations), but Duvdevan operators undergo basic training in the Paratroopers Brigade. Unit 217 is most similar to the Yamas unit of the Israel Border Police.
The public source identifies “Duvdevan Unit” as israel Defense Forces undercover counter-terrorism and special forces unit. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Duvdevan, Unit and Israel.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Duvdevan Unit”, the useful work is to connect “israel Defense Forces undercover counter-terrorism and special forces unit” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1260732. VIAF identifies the subject as 311793961. The Library of Congress control number is n2016034346. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1986, 2015, 2016 and 2022.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Duvdevan Unit”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Duvdevan Unit primary sources, Duvdevan Unit archive and Duvdevan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Duvdevan Unit”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Duvdevan Unit” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.