Do you know where your children are? In southern Israel, they’re all running for shelters.
This building in Sderot in southern Israel was hit during an intense night of rocket fire. (Photo: Edi Israel/Flash90)
The race for the shelters began earlier this Wednesday, starting in the afternoon with nine mortar shells exploding in various areas around the western Negev.
But by nightfall, Gaza terrorists were really revving up, probably fortified with their day’s quota of heavy, sweetened Turkish coffee.
They started with Ashkelon, home to more than 100,000 residents. A couple of medium-range missiles arrived, one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. The second exploded “harmlessly” in an open area, officials said. No one was physically injured and no property damage was reported.
Israelis are well-practiced at the marathon run to the safety rooms and shelters. They don’t talk much about the side-along race that goes on inside — the adrenalin rush that accompanies each blare of the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren, letting them know they have just “that many” seconds to make it to safety before the rocket’s impact.
The Iron Dome also intercepted a second missile, this one over the Sdot Negev Regional Council district, the IDF Spokesperson said.
Rockets Aimed Regularly and Randomly into Southern Israel
Two more rockets, short-range Qassams, exploded in open fields in the Eshkol Regional Council district.
Then Gaza terrorists finished their coffee and launched a barrage of eight more rockets, some fired at the Sdot Negev Regional Council district and a few towards the town of Ofakim. These rockets cannot be precisely aimed, so the terrorists simply aim them in a general direction and fire. In all cases, miraculously, no one was physically injured, and no property damage was reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli fighter pilots were also busy – they flew sorties into Gaza air space to retaliate with air strikes aimed at silencing the rocket and mortar fire.
The mortar launcher used to fire shells at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom will fire them no longer.
All this before 9:00 p.m. local time.
Older children have not yet gone to bed. Babies who normally have gone to bed sure haven’t been in their beds tonight. Not for long, anyway. And who knows where the teens are?
Do you know where your children are?
In southern Israel, they’re all running for shelters — again. And you can believe that tonight every single parent is doing their best to make sure they know precisely where their children are.
This article appeared in Jewishpress.com.