(NewsNation) — The Israeli military has called up 360,000 reservists to join the fight against Hamas, including Americans now stationed near the border with Gaza.
Ben, an American-born Israeli soldier who grew up in Los Angeles, received the call and joined his reserve unit within 48 hours. NewsNation is not using his full name for security reasons.
The soldier told NewsNation's Connell McShane that his unit is solely focused on its goal: eliminating Hamas.
"That's our mission, to make sure that Hamas can never do this ever again. To make sure that our children never have to fight this fight ever again," Ben said.
The latest round of fighting began after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 Israelis and capturing at least 199 hostages. At least 30 Americans were also killed in the ambush.
Ben said the full scope of the assault hasn't set in yet.
"Nobody's started to even process the atrocities that we've actually seen, and that's going to be a process that takes years."
You can watch the full interview with the American-born Israeli soldier in the player above.