I am so tired.
Tired of getting multiple alerts for more sirens for more rockets from Gaza aimed at Israeli civilians.
Tired by staying up way too late replying to tweets from media experts who seemed to have missed the fact that over 800 rockets have been fired at Israel since July 8.
Tired of “journalists balancing” their stories.
Tired of responding to old photos taken in Syria to blame Israel for damage in Gaza that did not happen. I mean really could anyone wear a wool hat and sweater in Middle East in summer?
And so very tired of hearing reporters exclaim how Israel has had so few causalities compared to Gaza.
The response should be so simple, so obvious. Dear Gazans: If you shelter bombs in your house, there will be a big BOOM.
Israel has built bomb shelters. Rockets are not new for children in Kiryat Malakhi. Large safe rooms were built especially to protect children from Hamas rockets.
When outdoor play areas have to be abandoned, indoor safe rooms provided many activities, even room to play a little basketball. This has been happening for years.
In Kiryat Malaki three people were killed in this building when their living room took a direct hit by a rocket fired from Gaza. 15 seconds is all southern Israeli residents have to get to safety.
In Sderot a large play ground was built indoors to keep children out of way of missiles. This playground has no carousel or climbing wall, everything is timed accessible to special bomb shelters in under 15 seconds. Young Israeli soldiers were out in full force to play with children and keep them calm during Operation Pillar of Defense.
Iron Dome, like this one outside of Sderot, has helped the situation, but it is expensive and only used when rockets are headed to populated areas.
Rockets from Gaza are intercepted in the air and blown up in the sky, those three white small clouds are all that could be seen after contact.
In Israeli communities near the Gaza border safe rooms are a part of life. They know all to well the sound of rockets landing in “open spaces.”
These little girls have grown up with hearing tezva adom, red alert sirens and going to sealed rooms for their entire lives. Making faces for my camera? They know nothing else. The sound of sirens is their normal.
Being home is easy compared to being outside. Driving in southern Israel, be prepared to get out and lie in a ditch with head down – in under 15 seconds.
Tanks were lined up ready to go in during Operation Pillar of Defense. Hamas called a cease-fire. Israel stopped. Rockets did NOT cease that night. They slowed down.
Southern Israel has been under fire for a decade.
Now with multiple rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and so many other locations, all of Israel is under fire.
There were 130 rockets fired at Israel yesterday. Each one is a war crime. Each rocket is aimed at Israeli civilians. Bethlehem and Hebron, Arab houses have been hit. Hamas took out their own electricity!
A week into Operation Protective Edge.
Who else would want to live this way?
Hamas must stop the rockets.
I am not the only one who is tired.