Israeli-American from Missouri called up from IDF reserves

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As the Israel-Hamas war wages on this week, more than 300,000 reserve Israeli soldiers were called to fight.

This includes at least one man from Missouri.

Jake Goldson is an Israeli-American with dual citizenship living in Missouri. He was born in Israel but raised in the United States. Three weeks after he proposed to his fiancée in St. Louis, the couple took a trip to Israel for Sukkot. On the last day of the Jewish holiday, war broke out.

Goldson told ABC 17 News that many of his friends were caught in the attacks on Israel.

"It really feels like this could really have been me. It could have been any one of my friends, and it was some of my friends," Goldson said.

As people on both sides back in Missouri take to the streets -- protesting, praying and demonstrating -- Goldson felt a call to action.

"Once things became a little more clear, and we understood like really how terrible that whole morning was -- with the infiltrations and the and the terrorism and the murders -- and just it's terrible. And it's just it's really hard. But I realized that, you know, if I have an opportunity to stay here and help out, I got to stay," Goldson said.

Israel has reported at least 1,400 people killed in the Hamas attack. Palestinian officials said nearly 2,800 people had been killed in Gaza as of Monday.

Goldson is now stationed on the northern border of Israel with the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF is evacuating citizens from communities around the northern border with Lebanon because fighting and shelling is starting to threaten those communities. At least one Israeli citizen was reported injured from fighting at the northern border, and possibly more people on the Lebanon side of the border.

A Reuters journalist was killed there by what Lebanese authorities said were Israeli missiles.

Some U.S. troops have been given "ready to deploy" orders from the U.S. Defense Secretary. Those soldiers would join Israeli soldiers if called on.

"Part of your call to serve is that, you know, my guys need me on a personal level because they're still some of my best friends. And then at the same time, the people as a whole, like it's our, it's our country," Goldson said.