As a million Gazans have fled the north of the Palestinian enclave to the south, Israel is preparing for a ground operation. The army, but also hundreds of thousands of reservists, are preparing for this mission. In Israel, everyone, whether boy or girl, does military service and is obliged to take up arms in the event of conflict.
Published on: October 15, 2023 – 10:52 p.m
2 minutes
With our special correspondent in Jerusalem, Murielle Paradon
In an almost empty restaurant in Tel Aviv, Rachel, 50, stares into space. Fear is visible on his face. His son Jonathan, 19, was drafted into the Gaza front as a reservist. “Thousands of soldiers will invade Gaza and my son will be among them. He’s just a child! I try to be positive when I talk to him on the phone so he doesn’t hear my scared voice. I try to keep myself busy with many things but I can’t, I’m busy. »
Tanya, a young 26-year-old waitress, is also worried about her boyfriend who has gone to the front. But for her it is a source of pride: “I’m scared of this operation because I think of all these soldiers who are going to die, but it’s the only chance we have to respond to the indescribable things that what they have done to us.” We cannot stand idly by. I haven’t been drafted into the army yet, I don’t know why, but I hope they will, because I want to go, I want to help. »
“Nobody wanted that”
Hafez’s son, for his part, has just finished his service. Hafi, in his mid-fifties, is very worried about him: “Almost all Israelis aged 18 have to join the army. I have a son who has been called up, he is at the Gaza border waiting for instructions from his commander in chief on what to do. I don’t think there are parents who aren’t afraid for their children. They are allowed to call once a day and say they are fine, but that is all. I don’t think anyone wanted that, including the people wearing the uniform. I think Israel is a peaceful country, most people in Israel want peace and tranquility. The word peace, Shalom, is one of the most used words in our country. We didn’t want this war, but we were forced to fight. »
360,000 Israeli reservists have been called up and are preparing for an upcoming ground operation in Gaza.
Also read report – Israel-Hamas war: Israelis expelled from the south face shock and uncertainty