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.

bomb shelter fixed up for large group of children

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.

image Israeli bomb shelter

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.

image damage from Gaza where people were killed

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.

image safe play space in Sderot for children to play

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.

image iron dome

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.

image iron dome

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.

image bomb shelter

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.”

image children in sealed room

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.

image red alert siren when outside

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.

image Israeli tanks

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.

image people on side of road for rocket

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.

5 thoughts on “Israel Under Fire: 15 Seconds”

  1. Hard Little Machine

    Bloomberg News ran a story something along the lines of “Iron Dome is terrible because it saves lives and that’s not good politics.”

    1. Not sure if I am sorry that I missed that one, there were so much off the wall “news” pieces trying to be balanced that I decided to not link to any of them.

  2. Norman_In_New_York

    Unfortunately, your fatigue is Hamas’s victory. Better the words of Isaiah. “But they who wait for the Almighty renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”

    1. Nice, but we could all use a good night sleep about now..seems that Israel fixed the electricity for Gaza that Hamas rocket took out. Wonder how that can be spinned against us in the media? Would be nice if Hamas leaders who are billionaires would pick up the tab, so my bill does not go even higher.

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