Roye, 36, was at his home in Jerusalem with his wife and two children to enjoy a family dinner for Jewish holiday Hanukkah and Shabbat. Suddenly, his phone screeched and didn't stop ringing as he was drafted as a reservist.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is calling 6,500 reservists to duty as part of the military offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which started on Saturday, according to local daily Ha'aretz on its website.
After a long week at work at his printing factory, Roye was ready for a quiet weekend containing a fair amount of sleeping. But the second his head touched the pillow, his phone screeched to ask him for the IDF duty as a reservist.
Roye told Xinhua Sunday that his heart started racing as he had not been called up for the IDF duty since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and he wondered what the next few months would bring.
At the border with Gaza, thousands of Israeli troops and armored vehicles lined up like soldiers, ready for a possible ground assault, as Gaza's death toll crept past 280 people.
Roye was busy cleaning and preparing his 65-ton battle tank and was surrounded by other soldiers all doing the same, his pants and shoes covered with mud caused by a recent downpour in southern Israel.
A war-like atmosphere dominated the air with helicopters and Israeli warplanes filling the sky, on their way to the Gaza Strip. Large blasts shake the earth, making it hard to talk over.
The Israeli bombing came after days of spiraling violence that followed the expiration of the six-month truce with Israel, retaliating for Palestinian rocket fire into Israel with one of the deadliest assaults in the history of the 60-year conflict.
Israel unleashed the operation named "Cast Lead" against Hamas targets in mid-morning on Saturday and by Sunday, it had hit over 230 targets in the territory.
When asked how he felt about the possible incursion into Gaza, Roye shouted, "I am not scared," over the noise from the tank pulling up behind him.
"I am willing to do what is necessary to bring peace to the communities of surrounding Gaza, even if I have to put my life on the line."
He knew he may not see his family anytime soon, as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on the radio, "This will be along and difficult war which will be very painful."
Olmert finished his speech by adding, "This is not a simple situation. We will act with sagacity, patience and determination. We believe that by acting in such a manner, in the end, it will lead to the result that we are all hoping for."
"I do wish I was at home, playing with my children, but it is a small sacrifice for the possibility of the quiet my family will enjoy," said Roye.
Israel is currently celebrating one of its most joyous holidays-- Hanukkah, in wake of the operation. But many children in southern Israel have found themselves staying in shelters during the long eight-day school break, which may now be extended due to the emergency situation.
On Sunday, Israel started to call up 4,500 reserve troops, in addition to 2,000 who were mobilized on Saturday, with most of the additional troops joining Roye as reinforcement of ground forces.
The Israeli Air Force's bombings and Qassam rockets striking the ground shook the earth again as thick smoke covered the air, making it a little hard to breathe.
Two of the most recent Qassam rockets reached Ashkelon, causing damage to houses and sending residents into shock, while Ashkelon declares a state of emergency as the city braced itself for the full force of the Hamas reply to the IDF operation in Gaza.
Palestinian squads in Gaza kept firing rockets at Israeli civilians as the "color red" siren sounds once again which caused soldiers to run for cover, most crouching under the nearest battle tank or concrete slab.
Although Roye didn't receive any help from the country after serving as a reservist in the Second Lebanon War, he insisted that he is not serving to benefit himself.
"I think the IDF has learnt a lot of important lessons since the Second Lebanon War and this is why I don't mind serving for my country again."
As night fell and the sky turned an almost blood-red color, the rockets and mortar shells quieten down for the day - after 150 rockets had been fired into Israel within 24 hours since the start of the operation, some reaching 40 km into Israel, the longest distance ever fired.
Meanwhile, the soldiers prepared for a cold night out under the stars as they stretch open their sleeping bags next to their tanks.
"This is what I have been trained to do and I look forward to dealing with the terrorists," Roye said as he casually smoked a cigarette while leaning on his tank.
Source:Xinhua
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