(National Review) Ryan Mills - New York resident Noy Leyb, 32, is a reservist machine gunner in an Israel Defense Forces paratrooper unit who headed to Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. He's not looking for revenge on Hamas terrorists for slaughtering Israeli citizens. His mission, as he sees it, is to protect Israel and to bring quiet back to the country. "We're going to finish it, complete it, and then come back home." He's not surprised that the IDF has not rushed into an invasion of Gaza. "I think the IDF is being more careful about when we're going in, and how we're going to go in....Just marching in is a death wish, and the IDF really values life. And the difference is Hamas worships death." "I know people who got injured [in the Hamas attack], shot in the stomach. I know people who were killed. I have friends in my unit who used to serve with me who were killed. I have friends in my unit whose family was kidnapped. Every day I wake up to the news hoping that I don't see a familiar face or a familiar name, but that's not the reality." "Anyone who says they're not scared is a liar. We're going against people who behead people and burn people. I'm scared for my family, for my friends. I'm scared, but just a bit. I'm scared just enough to keep me on my toes, just enough to make the correct steps, not to step on the mines."
2023-10-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive