Ezra Yachin, a 95-year-old Israeli who volunteered to join the army. X (Old Twitter) Capture @MyIsraelorgil
As the war, which began with a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, has entered its sixth day, Israelis are voluntarily enlisting in the military despite being well past the age of reserve military service.
According to Israel National News on the 10th (local time), 95-year-old Ezra Yachin put on his old military uniform again and picked up a gun to help fight.
Yachin is said to have worked as a combat soldier in the paramilitary organization ‘Lehi’ before the founding of the State of Israel. He is currently raising the morale of his troops by telling them, “Don’t give up even now,” and talking about his past experiences, the media reported.
Because of Yachin’s old age, direct combat seems unlikely, but he is said to be sharing with the military how he survived in Jerusalem, where massacres took place in the past.
Noam Lanir, a 56-year-old Israeli businessman, is also not eligible for the reserve forces, but volunteered to join the army along with his two sons. In a phone interview with the Washington Post, he said, “I lost my father, uncle, and cousin in the Yom Kippur War (the fourth Middle East war in 1973). “Now is the time for me to step forward,” he said.
Israel called up about 400,000 reserve troops during the Yom Kippur War. Israeli authorities explained that the speed of reserve mobilization this time is faster than during the Yom Kippur War.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said 300,000 reservists were called up within 48 hours. Due to the allocation of additional flights, the number of reservists mobilized so far has increased to about 360,000.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com Reporter hyewon@donga.com
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2023-10-12 01:29:00
