A 95-year-old veteran who fought in the underground paramilitary group Lehi before the state of Israel was even established is the oldest of some 360,000 army reservists mobilising now in defence of the country.

Ezra Yachin did not hesitate to put on his uniform again, joining the hundreds of thousands of reservists heading towards the Gaza border.

The veteran, who lost his right eye in the Israeli War of Independence and was involved in the highly controversial Deir Yassin battle, told German newspaper Bild: “Two days ago I received an order to be drafted from the reserves and immediately put on my uniform.”

Yachin, who will not see combat, has been motivating soldiers, instilling in them “the spirit of the underground”.

He said: “I talk to the soldiers, I encourage them and strengthen their morale. I explain to them that we are not in Nazi Europe and that we will not allow anyone to do to us what the Nazis did.”

It is clear to him that “Hamas are the Nazis of today”.

The nonagenarian added: “I want to be with the fighters and give them the fighting spirit of the underground, instil in them the Jewish spirit and prepare them for war.”

IDF reservists living around the immediately began flocking back to the Jewish state as soon as it emerged it was under attack, with Israel’s national carrier El Al laying on extra flights.

Yotam Avrahami, 31, was preparing on Saturday to head to Israel. He would be leaving his wife and seven-month-old baby in New York, where he has lived for four years.

Avrahami said he had spent about $1,600 on a one-way plane ticket and planned on landing to report to base to see where he was needed: “I’m not unique,” he said. “This is kind of Israelis across the board.”

In Paris, young Israeli reservists queued up at Charles de Gauille Airport to fly back home, determined to fight, Reuters news agency reported.

“I think we were well prepared in the army, after three years of military service,” said one, who only gave her first name, Eden. “I think I’m ready for war,” said the reservist, who had arrived in France one month earlier for work.

“That’s life… We have to fight.”

The IDF said on Monday that Israel had “never mobilised so many reservists so quickly,” with 300,000 people called up within 48 hours.