More than 370 Israeli soldiers have died since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Now, with nearly four percent of the country’s population serving, family members brace for news their loved one has been added to that casualty list.
While this concern grows, it’s also an inherent part of Israeli daily life. All Israeli citizens over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military with very few exceptions.
The mandatory service began with the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, and now, years later, it’s still considered essential to the security of Israel.
“I remember when I was maybe five or six years old, I had a conversation with my father and I asked him, ‘What would I do in the army when it would be my time to go to the army,’ And he then told me an answer that I think many Israelis in different generations heard from their parents. And he told me that he hoped that when I would be 18 and it would be time to go to the army, we wouldn’t need the army anymore,” recalls Aya Elia, an Israeli writer and filmmaker.
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