Re “What Slowdown? Hamas Must be Setting a Record for Rockets”
[Editor’s Note: As Hamas terrorists continue firing rockets into Israel, sending frightened residents underground, our correspondent resumes her daily update.]
Dateline Jerusalem — Normal routine as I awaken this morning to the buzzing of the Code Red Siren alert system on my computer at 6:15. Who needs an alarm? The number six must be of significance because there is a barrage of rockets around 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. most days. Once at 6 a.m., Hamas threatened to shoot at the airport in Tel Aviv yesterday, but failed to do so.
A synagogue in Ashdod took a direct hit from a Gaza rocket and the firefighters and rescue workers on the scene are afraid that the synagogue will collapse completely. Several worshipers were being treated for shrapnel wounds. Another school was targeted with the rocket landing within less than 40 feet. This school was open with children inside. Where is the Iron Dome? Supposedly it intercepted eight rockets, but as of 5 o’clock, there were 42 Code Red Siren alerts in populated areas and more than 70 rockets launched at Israel.
The latest Hamas threats are a call for a Third Intifada, with bus bombings and suicide bombers. I remember taking the No. 18 bus in Jerusalem in 1995 on one of my various trips to Israel prior to my making Aliyah (emigrating) in 2007. Less than a year later, that bus was bombed during the intifada. I knew someone who was supposed to meet his relatives at the Dizengoff Mall in Tel Aviv the day a suicide bomber killed 13 people in 1996. That person does not have a good sense of direction and ended up on the wrong bus, going to the wrong mall. G-d was definitely looking out for him. Knowing people who have experienced intifada, or just having a connection to a bus, mall, restaurant or place, makes you relate to the grave danger facing us all.
Burned to the Ground
It looks as though Palestinian Arabs in the “West Bank” are taking the call to intifada seriously. Today at a checkpoint in Hebron, which allows Palestinians to go back and forth from Palestinian- controlled Hebron to Israeli-controlled Hebron, the IDF checkpoint was burned to the ground when an Arab terrorist threw a firebomb. Several soldiers were inside but able to get out in time.
In the meantime, Hamas is executing its own people in Gaza. They have become so paranoid, they think everyone is a collaborator or spy for Israel. Of course, they add them to their list of fatalities caused by Israel. They also killed many of the people who dug the terror tunnels for them because they were afraid they could not be kept secret otherwise. Arabs killing Arabs hardly makes the news. Of it does, it is ignored by the world. Anything that involves Israel is subject to scrutiny and censure.
Good news, however, is that the tourists and visitors coming to Israel during these times seem to be enjoying themselves and can't wait for a return trip. Even when they had to seek occasional shelter it has not deterred them. Most of the country has been able to go about their lives. Even in my neighborhood, which has had more than its share of seeking shelter from rockets, the children are playing in the parks, the malls are crowded with shoppers, people are eating in outdoor cafes, and the mindset seems to be back to business as usual.
Yesterday
Other than the constant Code Red Siren alerts buzzing and ringing on my computer, thunderous booms and windows rattling, my Thursday has been fine so far, thank G-d. I cannot say that for everyone else. One person was seriously injured with chest wounds when hit by shrapnel from a Hamas rocket. He was in a children's building on a kibbutz. He pushed a nursery teacher and a 3-year-old to safety. He shielded other children with his body, saving their lives while endangering his own. In another incident, a missile strike directly hit a kindergarten. Thank G-d it is summer, and school has not started. One man suffered serious head injuries when hit by a car while he was running to a shelter.
As I close my eyes to take a much needed catnap, the buzzer and ringing on my computer begins. A friend asked if I heard the big boom, although we did not have a siren here. Surrounding areas were under fire. We are not that close, but we hear the blasts. As of 11 p.m., 117 Code Red Siren alerts had been today. With the new system of not sounding a siren in areas that are not populated, it is difficult to compare the situation today with that in previous weeks. I do not have a figure for the number of rockets launched against Israel.
I am comforted by the rumble of Israeli jets, but since my ear is trained to the usual times they take off and land, I know that 11:20 p.m. is not normal. Hamas had threatened to attack the international airport in Tel Aviv this morning. Nothing came of it, thank G-d. Flights were taking off and landing as scheduled. Only Jordan and Turkey cancelled their flights to Israel.
Latest news is that both Britain and the U.S. have agreed to release the weaponry that they originally had blocked. About time. Unbelievable that during wartime an ally would be refused necessary ammunition and weapon parts.
Below is an image of a barrage of rockets around noon today. The red balloons represent the populated areas where the Code Red Siren alerts sounded. Many areas were for more than one rocket. Once the siren sounds, another does not sound even if there is another rocket coming. That is why we are told to remain in our shelters 10 minutes after the siren stops sounding, in case multiple rockets were fired.
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As with every Friday, I end early so that I can get ready for Shabbat. Hopefully we will have a peaceful and quiet one.
Shabbat shalom. L'hitraot. Shachar