‘People ask me how I did it? Looking back it seems impossible, but it happened.‘

By Hezy Laing

While the IDF’s standing army has borne the brunt of the war, some 300,000 reserve soldiers spent hundreds of days each fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.

Incredibly, many did it while simultaneously remotely running a business.

Here are stories of IDF reserve soldiers who served in Gaza while continuing to work or run their businesses remotely, showcasing resilience, adaptability, and patriotism:

1. Liran – Tech Startup Founder from Dimona

Liran, a father of two and founder of a cybersecurity startup, was called up for his fourth round of reserve duty in Gaza. Despite being stationed near the front lines, he continued to manage his team remotely using satellite internet and asynchronous communication. “I’ve already done over 300 days, but there was never a thought of not coming,” he told Ynet News. His CTO handled daily operations while Liran reviewed code and investor updates during breaks.

2. Eli – E-commerce Entrepreneur

Eli runs a successful online store selling Judaica and home goods. When called up for duty, he automated his logistics and customer service using AI tools and remote staff. While stationed near Kissufim, he shared in a video how he fulfilled orders and answered customer queries during downtime. “It’s surreal—packing orders from a tent in Gaza, but it keeps me grounded,” he said in a Jerusalem Post feature.

3. Itamar – Newspaper Editor

Itamar is the editor of a popular Friday newspaper for the religious public. He is also a Captain in the reserves in charge of a D9 unit tasked with destroying danger Gaza buildings. In the past two years he has spent over 700 days in reserve duty! Despite this enormous load he has not missed publishing a single issue, which he often edited from his army base. “If I really needed it, I asked for a day off from reserve duty or a sub-editor took over. People ask me how I did it? Looking back it seems impossible, but it happened. I can only thank Hashem for his kindness.”

4. Yossi – Freelance Developer

Yossi, a full-stack developer, was deployed for reserve duty but kept freelancing for European clients. He coded from his tablet during quiet hours and used GitHub to push updates. “It’s not easy, but it reminds me why I build tech—to solve problems, even in chaos,” he said in a video interview with IDF Club.

These stories reflect the extraordinary balance Israeli reservists maintain—defending their country while sustaining their livelihoods.