Reservists (file)
Reservists (file)Flash 90

Thousands of army reservists were mistakenly ordered Independence Day morning, Thursday, to report immediately to their units, having received “Tzav 8” (Order 8) text messages denoting an emergency call-up, 0404 reported.

The reservists were asked to convene immediately at the meeting points for their units in case of an emergency situation.

“This is a message from the recruitment office of your unit. An emergency call-up has been activated. You are asked to appear immediately at the meeting point. To remind you, you must bring the protective kit in your possession and your army equipment. For additional information, you can call the following number,” the message read, according to 0404.

Reservists told 0404 that they were sure a war was underway.

“We received a message to report immediately for Order 8. I, personally, had already prepared everything and set out towards the base. I was sure that there was a war and went to kiss the kids,” one of the reservists said.

Another said, “I prepared my bag and called the unit to check if I could arrive by car directly to the meeting place, but they didn’t answer at the number attached to the message.”

Later, it became clear that the emergency notices had been a mistake. According to 0404, reservists later received this message: “This is a cancellation message! The message from the information center of your unit is incorrect. No need to report!”

The IDF said that the call-up messages were a mistake, and the matter would be investigated.