An eerie quiet interrupted by rocket fire and interceptions
You could hear a pin drop, or a rocket fired
By ANNA AHRONHEIMIron Dome anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets are launched from Gaza towards Israel as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel Ashkelon November 1, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS/ AMIR COHEN TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Roads were empty, shops were shuttered, the only sounds to be heard were of rockets being fired or intercepted and dogs barking.You could hear a pin drop.For the second day in a row, southern Israel was at a standstill with hundreds of civilians staying home close by to shelters as rockets pounded the region. Over 360 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern and central Israel, 200 on Wednesday alone.With the escalation in violence, Israel’s Home Front Command released directives prohibiting schools from opening or for non-essential work taking place.Driving around the south, it was clear that the residents had listened to the directives.Maj. Yarden Shukrun, the Home Front Command officer in charge of Israel’s Southern District told The Jerusalem Post that the directives have to be followed in order to save lives.“If we know that there is a region where there is a higher risk of rocket fire, that’s where we will place our restrictions which are always given for the following 24 hours. But things can change in an instant,” she said.The college town of Sderot – home to 26,455 people – sits on the frontlines. It has been hit by thousands of rockets over the past 18 years and has shelters every few meters, be it a bomb shelter or a bus stop shelter.Nevertheless, Shukrun told the Post, “... we don’t have shelters everywhere. If you are driving and there are sirens you need to leave your car and get down on the road and cover your head. In most cases, when people follow the directives, most people escape with minor injuries if anything at all.”Driving around the city one could see that all parks were abandoned, including Baird Park named after Canada’s former Foreign Minister John Baird. People were unwilling to chance having to find shelter in the 15 seconds warning they have before a rocket strikes, preferring to stay home.
The residents of Sderot are no strangers to rocket fire and the majority of homes in the city have bomb shelters to run to if a siren goes off.Outside the main police station are hundreds of rockets which impacted the city. Next to that same police station is a popular hummus restaurant, Hahummus shel Tehina. Usually jam packed, especially as rockets are being fired from the Strip when dozens of journalists come for a quick bite before going back to the field to film another live rocket falling.But Wednesday it was empty, the doors locked. They weren’t taking any risks. Down the road another restaurant was open, serving journalists and soldiers deployed to the area.Shukrun told the Post that “even though some people do open their places of business, it endangers lives.” As such she said, police can be sent to fine and close businesses that are open.Southern District Home Front Command Officer Lt. Omer Mussan told The Jerusalem Post that the “life-saving directives” have saved countless lives during a number of violent rounds between Gaza and Israel.“A person acting on the instructions, whether they are in an open area or in a protected area – will significantly reduce the chance of being injured,” she said, stressing that if you listen to the directives “you will be saved!”
