Israel Defense Forces History Museum, Military museum in Tel Aviv, Israel

The Israel Defense Forces History Museum is a military museum in southern Tel Aviv that displays weapons, vehicles, uniforms, and personal items from different periods of the Israeli armed forces. The collection also includes documents and photographs that give a broad overview of the army's development.

The museum was founded in 1959 and traces the path from the underground organizations of the British Mandate period to the modern Israeli army. It shows how equipment and strategy changed over the decades that followed independence.

The Hebrew name Batei HaOsef means "The Collection Houses", after the railway warehouses that held the weapons. Exhibits were organised by corps, each with its own hut; the Signals Corps hut was the last built. A "Terror Pavilion" showed weapons captured from militant groups, including Kassam rockets and arms seized from the Karine A. The museum also kept non-military items: gifts given to defence ministers and chiefs of staff, and ministers' official cars.

The museum has been closed since 1 January 2019, and the Ministry of Defense vacated the grounds in August 2019, so there is nothing to visit at the Tel Aviv site. The collection is being moved to Latrun, next to the armored corps museum. Check current opening information before traveling there.

The museum is planning a move to Latrun, a site already known for its tank museum, where more space will allow for interactive displays and modern technology. This means that two major collections of Israeli military history will eventually share the same location.