The term "Israeli bandage" is not the official name of the product, but a nickname for a specific bandage design. It is a stretchable bandage with a padded area, a mechanism for applying pressure to the wound and a mechanism for holding the bandage in place. The bandage is officially called an "emergency bandage" by the manufacturer and is available in various sizes. It is used in first aid situations and helps to stop the flow of blood to the wound, thus potentially saving the life of the injured person.

Bernard Bar-Natan is the designer of the Israeli bandages. He was an army doctor in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the 1980s and thought he could improve the type of bandage used by the IDF to stop the flow of blood to combat casualties. The Israeli bandage is similar to a traditional bandage as it has a stretchable fabric and sterile padding that absorbs blood and reduces injury. It also has a kinked bar that tenses the bandage and applies pressure. A fourth key feature of the bandage is the built-in closure mechanism, so that no additional closure pieces (such as safety pins or bandages) are needed to close the bandage.

During the Bosnian conflict, in 1998, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) used bandages to bandage a number of wounded troops. The US army started using bandages in its field kits in 2003, and the Americans nicknamed the emergency bandage the Israeli bandage. The IDF themselves added bandages to their medical kits in 2006.

Used primarily in combat and first aid situations, the bandages serve to slow or stop the bleeding of a wounded person until he or she can reach a hospital for further treatment. The wounded person often has other people around him or her who can apply the bandage, but if one is alone, one can also apply it to oneself. In addition to military organisations, medical personnel may also use the product as part of a first aid kit.