The brigade was founded in 1948 and fought during the War of Independence. The brigade initially fought in northern Galilee but transferred to the southern front and fought in the Negev. After the war, while several other brigades were reorganized as reserves, the Golani remained an active duty formation. In 1956, during the Sinai Campaign, the Golani Brigade was assigned to capture the Rafah area, in order to provide Israeli armored forces with a clear road into Egyptian territory.