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Youth

Determined to Fight: Young Israelis' Resolve Amid War

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the war in Gaza continues to rage on, a new generation of Israelis is growing up with a sense of determination and resolve to defend their country. Despite the trauma and loss they have experienced, many young Israelis are choosing to enter the military, with some even joining elite combat units. The war has changed the way they view their country's role in the world, with many feeling a sense of responsibility to protect their nation and its people.

Key Takeaways:

  • Yonatan Baba, 18, from Tel Aviv, has decided to join a combat unit in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) after experiencing the war firsthand. He believes that "We need to be ready to sacrifice ourselves and to protect our country."
  • According to Tamar Hermann, director of the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute, young Israelis, especially young men, are increasingly identifying with the national war effort and are more likely to join elite combat units.
  • Many teenagers in Israel have seen their sense of security shattered after the Oct. 7 attack, leading to a growing sense of hawkishness. Alma, 19, from a town in southern Israel, said, "People my age feel very angry, and they want revenge."
  • A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found that among Israeli students, 70% of those who have had friends killed or injured in the war believe that their friends died a heroic death (Source: Israel Democracy Institute).
  • Alon Yakter, a senior political science lecturer at Tel Aviv University, notes that among some of his university students, there appears to be a growing fatigue with the war. Over the course of nearly two years, the military has called up more than 400,000 reservists (Source: Israel Defense Forces).
  • Shahaf Davidovich, 18, from Tel Aviv, has started doing combat training and plans to join a paratrooper unit in August. "Everyone knows that we are surrounded by people who don't want us here," he said.
  • Gali Zadikevitch, an 18-year-old from the Kfar Aza kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, has decided to serve in the IDF after her community was overrun by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

Statistics:

  • More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry (Source: Gaza Health Ministry).
  • About 1,200 people were killed in Israel in the Oct. 7 attack (Source: Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
  • Over the course of nearly two years, the military has called up more than 400,000 reservists (Source: Israel Defense Forces).
  • 70% of Israeli students who have had friends killed or injured in the war believe that their friends died a heroic death (Source: Israel Democracy Institute).

Sources:

  • Tamar Hermann, director of the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute.
  • Yonatan Baba, 18, from Tel Aviv.
  • Alma, 19, from a town in southern Israel.
  • Alon Yakter, a senior political science lecturer at Tel Aviv University.
  • Shahaf Davidovich, 18, from Tel Aviv.
  • Gali Zadikevitch, an 18-year-old from the Kfar Aza kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
  • Israel Democracy Institute.
  • Israel Defense Forces.
  • Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Gaza Health Ministry.

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