[Editor’s Note: As Hamas terrorists continue firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, sending frightened residents underground, our correspondent resumes her daily update.]

Re “What Has Happened to Honesty? Israel Is the Underdog”

Dateline Jerusalem — Updating the unilateral cease fire, which only Israel has accepted: Three times I had to seek shelter in less than an hour.

First time: So much for a cease fire. Sirens wailed. Booms and thuds. I just came back from the safety of my apartment stairwell to file this update. Israel accepted the ceasefire and obviously Hamas did not. Israel complied with the ceasefire for six hours while Hamas fired 50 rockets at Israel.

Today, the 17th of Tammuz, Israelis began a fast from food and water a few hours before the ceasefire was to take place. While Israel fasted and mourned the breach of the Walls of Jerusalem in the year 423 Before the Common Era, BCE, which culminated in the destruction of the Holy Temple three weeks later, Hamas bombarded Israel with rockets and missiles.

The 17th of Tammuz not only commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, that led to the destruction of the Holy Temples, but this was a day of calamities for the Jewish people.

Originally, the 9th of Tammuz was a fast day commemorating the day Babylonian armies breached the walls of Jerusalem. But the fast day was changed to the 17th because the walls of Jerusalem were breached again by the Romans on the 17th of Tammuz in the year 70 of the Common Era, CE. Interestingly, the 9th of Tammuz is the day Hamas began its rocket fire at Israel.

Second time: Uh, oh. More sirens, booms and thuds. I think I should move into the stairwell at this rate. Mostly women, children and infants crowding into the stairwells of my building.

Third time:  Not again.  Third time seeking shelter in one hour.  This is ridiculous.  Unfortunately today, there were casualties, both deaths and injuries.

As of 10:30 last night, Israel time, there were 162 Code Red siren alerts in Israel.  I have been keeping track of all the rocket fire throughout Israel.  I downloaded a map of Israel showing real time live Code Red alerts as they are happening.  Each time a buzzer blares on my computer and the map shows where the rockets are, how many minutes people have to get to shelter, and how long they must remain in safety before leaving their stairwells, safe rooms, bomb shelters.

L'hitraot.  Shachar