I served as a soldier and then an officer in the IDF, I recently finished my mandatory service and am now in the reserves.

With the recent escalation in Gaza there has been a lot of misinformation (on both sides) in the news. I hope that I can help answer questions from anyone seeking honest, first person perspective without media bias.

Please don't let this degrade into a Pali/Israeli conflict circle jerk. I didn't come to argue, I came to answer questions and provide facts on the ground, hopefully free of political agenda. If you post inflammatory remarks (about either side), I simply won't respond. If you have sincere questions or thoughts, even if they are totally against my own beliefs, I will definitely talk about it with you. I will respect you so please respect me.

Also, just don't ask about what I did in my service, I can't talk about that. Anything else, pretty much, is fair game. I'll be here for a couple hours, probably.

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edit: thanks for the questions, guys. It's bed time for me.

edit2: its morning here and I see a bunch of new questions, I'll try to answer for a little while longer. I know it's 'primetime' in the US. And thank you guys for keeping this civil. Respectful and openminded discussion is what we need on the path to peace.

edit3: I'll be hanging around a lot today so while the operation is still going on if you have questions I'll try to answer them as best I can

edit4: Thanks for all the questions guys. To the people who asked serious questions and wanted to learn, I appreciate the talking we had, even in times where we didn't agree on the same opinions. It is this open dialogue that will be crucial for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Much respect to you guys. To the people who were assholes and just used this opportunity to attack me for being Jewish and Israeli - stop that, no body likes an asshole.

Israel just agreed to the egyptian mediated ceasefire (9AM july 15th) but Hamas has rejected it. Hopefully they change their minds and the fighting stops soon. We will pray and see if this is the case. we want it to be. Thanks again guys and remember to always look at both sides of the story - neither side is completely innocent but finding the facts will help you see what is really happening on the ground. Good day to everyone!