"We heard a very loud boom and everything shook. There was destruction in the apartment and there was panic," said a tenant in the building who was badly injured. "We went outside and then there was a fire in the car and thick smoke. It was difficult to breathe."
Natalie, another tenant who lives in another building, said excitedly: "Luckily, my husband and I went into the bomb shelter. We heard a loud explosion and the house shook. We realized that a rocket had fallen close to us. We hurried out after the explosion because we were afraid of a fire in the building. Our apartment was full of glass and was damaged. My husband went to help an older woman get out of the apartment and I went out into the street and then I saw scenes from war movies. Destruction, broken glass and a car going up in flames."
A clothing store owner, whose store suffered heavy damage, said: "I live not far from here. When I heard the loud explosion, I went out and then everything went dark. Everything was destroyed. Only three months ago I opened the store and another store not far away, which was also damaged. I don't know what to do now, but most importantly I was not hurt."
RAMAT GAN Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen, who arrived at the scene of the strike, said: "This is a difficult Shabbat for Ramat Gan. A rocket fell here and we paid a very heavy price. We strengthen the security forces who are doing an excellent job. I hope that they will not stop the military operation in the Gaza Strip and that there will be no ceasefire until the targets are reached."
Large forces of police, MDA and Fire and Rescue Services worked for a long time to treat the injured, two of whom were suffering from smoke inhalation, while others were in shock. A team from the engineering department, led by city engineer Sigal Horesh, was also called to the scene, and began examining the strength of the damaged buildings.
Meanwhile, police and municipal teams, led by Parking Department director Rami Nahum, worked to expel the many people who came to the area. Roads were blocked and people were asked not to arrive in the area as the incident had not ended.
Employees of the Welfare Department began registering and providing assistance to the dozens of tenants whose homes were damaged, and property tax teams were also called to the scene to assess the damage to the apartments.
"Anyone who will not be able to return to their apartment will receive alternative accommodation from us tonight at a hotel," Shama-Hacohen tried to reassure the stunned tenants, who did not know where they would be at night in the face of the heavy damage to their apartments.
The Ramat Gan Safari was also damaged, apparently by shrapnel that fell and caused damage to the wall of several displays. One of the monkeys was lightly injured. In the safari, they noted that when the caregivers left the shelters, they put the animals into the sheltered night houses in order to keep them safe.
The chairman of the safari management and Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Roi Barzilai, who arrived at the scene, noted that work has already begun to repair the damage and that in the meantime, workers are protecting the monkeys' yards.
ONE OF the rockets fired in the heavy barrage fell in the area of a community center parking lot in Givat Shmuel and caused damage. Large MDA forces, Fire and Rescue Services personnel, police and municipal teams were rushed to the scene of the hit.
"The State of Israel and Givat Shmuel within it, is currently in the midst of another campaign against the Hamas rule in Gaza, a campaign that is culminating in the firing of dozens of rockets at Gush Dan, including fire in the Givat Shmuel area," Mayor Yossi Brodney said at the scene.
According to him, the Givat Shmuel Municipality is prepared for any scenario and is working in close and full cooperation with representatives of the Home Front Command, the police and the security and rescue forces. "I call once again on all residents to obey the instructions of the Home Front Command, to stay close to the shelters and to be patient until leaving them is safe. Let us know better days," he said.
Meanwhile, among the anxiety, distress, rockets and blocked roads due to the internal struggles in mixed cities, five young people from Petah Tikva set out on Friday afternoon - Maurice Naoi, Idan Naoi, Daniel Amar, Yura Mamaine and Artius - for a tour of IDF outposts in Jenin and Nablus to give our soldiers hot meals. Together with Moshe Saadon, owner of the Ofale restaurant in Petah Tikva, they decided on a hot meal for the fighters and went out with poultry, schnitzel, rice, potatoes and deli meats to pamper the IDF."They protect us all; they're the most deserving in the world," Maurice said.