Drive by any army reserve base in Israel today and what you’ll first notice is the number of cars clogging the roads leading to it: all belonging to military reservists called up in the wake of the country’s declaration of war against the Hamas militant group ruling the Gaza Strip.
“You know these cars are parked here by reservists who couldn’t park in the base,” said Noy Leyb, an Israeli Canadian reservist. “These are all the people who stopped their whole life and came to defend Israel.”
An estimated 360,000 Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reservists have been called up since Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 Israelis in a brutal rampage on Oct. 7, taking an estimated 203 others hostage including children and the elderly.
One man in the north of the country has even started a volunteer “park your car” service for reservists worried about leaving their vehicles parked in empty fields by the side of the road for weeks or months.
Leyb, a tech entrepreneur in his early 30s, was born in Calgary but was living in New York when he heard the news of the Hamas attack.
“I started receiving the notifications and it was like a nightmare. Each notification was worse and worse and worse,” he told CBC News at a location we are not allowed to report for security reasons.
Both his brothers, living in Israel, were called up, and at that point Leyb simply bought a plane ticket and went on what he describes as one of the most emotional journeys of his life.
“You know, it’s just preparing yourself for war. You’re not preparing yourself for an exam in university or a job interview. You’re preparing yourself for one of the biggest things in your life.”
A bigger threat
Leyb says he still visits his grandmother in Calgary once a year and like other reservists living abroad he also returns to Israel once a year to refresh his training.
“And [the training] is serious, but it’s also fun. You see all your friends and, you know, you’re coming and going. This is a bit different because we’re coming. We’re not going. And we’re dealing with a much bigger threat than we have been in the past.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s response to the Hamas killings will “change the Middle East.”
On Thursday, the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, told infantry troops massing along Israel’s border with Gaza that they would soon see it “from the inside,” a clear reference to an anticipated ground invasion.
Israel has already been conducting an air campaign against what it says are Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians living in extreme poverty under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007.
Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by several Western countries including Canada, the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
Since the Hamas attack, 4,137 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 1,500 children, Palestinian officials say. The UN says more than a million have been made homeless and an estimated 13,000 homes have been completely destroyed. Critics have denounced the air campaign as collective punishment while aid agencies continue to warn of a humanitarian crisis.
Hamas has put Palestinians at risk, reservist says
Leyb says while he feels sorry for Palestinian civilians, it is Hamas that has put them at risk.
“We have to try and of course ensure that every civilian life, every innocent Israeli, Palestinian is saved.
“But we can’t just have someone threatening us and shooting at us and not do anything.”
WATCH | Israeli reservists prepare for possible ground invasion:
Featured VideoIsraeli military reservists are mobilizing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza. Those combing the aftermath of last Saturday’s attack by Hamas say they found evidence of the militant group’s meticulous plans and expect the same for any defence of Gaza.
Leyb said not to judge them.
“We’re just trying to protect our people, our children, our wives and our families,” he said.
Military service in Israel is a compulsory three years for men and two for women when they turn 18, with exemptions for ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jews studying the Torah.
Men have to serve 32 months and women 24. After this, most of them can be called up to reserve units until the age of 40, or even older, in case of national emergency. In times of war, they fight alongside the regular troops.
Arab Israelis, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, are also exempt but can choose to perform national service.
Reservists in the spotlight
Israel’s military reservists have been in the spotlight this past year, with some threatening to refuse duty over opposition to a hugely divisive plan by Netanyahu’s ultra-nationalist government to limit the role of the judiciary.
Leyb says it’s not a choice he would have made.
“I think you have to make a difference between your political stance and what you think and defending the country.”
But he also said the political situation has been put on hold in the face of threats to the country.
Leyb has been trained as a machine gun operator and admits to some trepidation ahead of any ground offensive, especially for his mother, who has three sons now serving on active duty.
“Of course everybody has a bit of a feeling inside, but on the other hand we’re ready. We’re ready to go in. We’re ready physically, ready mentally and ready to go and not come back until Israel is safe and secure.”