Re “State of War Is Confusing, and Fear Drives the Immediate Future”
[Editor’s Note: As Hamas terrorists continue firing rockets into Israel, sending frightened residents underground, our correspondent resumes her daily update.]
Dateline Jerusalem — Looks as if the cease-fire was violated at 3:47 p.m. It was supposed to end at midnight. Even though there were no Code Red Siren alerts, three rockets landed in an open area in the Be'er Sheva desert. Residents heard the explosions. A new policy says no sirens if it looks as if they will land in open areas. Immediately after, I heard our jets take off overhead. They have not stopped. Nor have the rockets into Israel.
As I write at almost 11 p.m., I have just returned from my stairwell. The sirens lasted a long time. Lots of booms. One little boy ran into the stairwell dripping wet from a bath, his towel dragging. No one thinks of the disrupted lives of Israeli children. Hamas claimed a rocket sent into my area was a Fajr-5, which has a bigger payload and much larger explosive warhead. No wonder the sirens lasted so long. In Jerusalem, a different type of rocket was used, an M-75.
At 11:45, I have poured a cup of coffee. If the sirens and Code Red alerts don't keep me up, the coffee will. No rockets in my area now but I am hearing loud thuds from areas as far south as Ashdod. It is a good thing I went to the market today. My supplies will last for a while.
Several cities in southern Israel have announced they are going on emergency footing. The city market and public pools will be closed, kindergartens will be held in bomb shelters. My city has opened its public bomb shelters and set up a municipal emergency hotline, a good thing since my city is a target. Just about anywhere in Israel is vulnerable. From the look on my map, rockets are being lobbed all over Israel. According to the IDF, 40 rockets have been launched at Israel since Hamas violated the peace today.
Weapons More Dangerous
People do not realize that Hamas is no longer using small rockets with light but dangerous loads that have only short- range capability. The Gaza war has taught Israel that Hamas has a far greater capabilities than they did just a few years ago.
I have learned my Israeli friends and those who have lived in Israel for many years are much more relaxed. They come and go about their daily routines, thinking of war as an inconvenience. Perhaps it is because in Israel's short 66 years, it has fought seven officially recognized wars, two Palestinian intifadas, and a myriad of IDF operations. Believe it or not, this Gaza war is still being called an operation. Seems like war to me when rockets are shot into Israeli cities and I have to find shelter.
My friends who have been here a short time, or who are American, however, tend to take things more seriously. Of course, one's location makes a difference. People living in southern Israel, faced with a daily bombardment of rockets, are a more uptight than those in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the north who have been victims of rocket fire but on an infrequent basis.
I have learned everyone says a lot of things, and no one means any of them. A lot is going on behind the scenes, and the “leaks” of information/disinformation can keep a journalist busy for years. I wish I were a fly on the wall so I could know what really is going on.
L'hitraot. Shachar