Page 9 - TORCH Magazine #13 - April 2019

As Israel’s Ambassador to the UN said, “There is no such thing as both sides. There is Hamas that attacks and fires over 460 missiles at civilians and there is Israel that protects its people.”
When a single rocket is fired from Gaza, sirens throughout southern Israel begin to sound. Whether someone is fast asleep at night or taking a shower, as soon as those sirens go off, tens-of-thousands of Israelis have just 15 seconds to find shelter.
A mother, lovingly cradling her child to sleep is suddenly rushing for shelter, holding her baby tight and
praying they will be safe.
A children’s birthday
party, filled with laughter
and music suddenly
transforms into screams
of fear and panic as
parents scramble their
children to cover.
their parents or other siblings. Some don’t even like to be alone during the day, even to play in their bedroom.
The government has introduced unique ways to protect its children. Many playgrounds in southern Israel have been modified to contain bomb-shelters.
These bomb shelters are created to look like play areas for the children, with concrete tubes that are decorated in bright colours within the play parks. They are larger versions of the plastic tubes that children crawl through in British playgrounds throughout the country.
The difference is that they can withstand a direct hit from a rocket and are large enough for an adult to walk in.
Children should
feel safe when they are playing in their school playground or in a
local play park. This is why these tubes were designed. It protects them, but also reassures them and gives them peace of mind. Parents can also be safe in the knowledge that if a siren sounds whilst their children are at the play park or in school, they are
Just imagine being
a parent at work and
hearing a siren. Not only
will you be worried about
your own safety, but also
for the safety of your
children at school. You
can’t simply get back to
work, you have to call the school, check on your
spouse, call other loved
ones and see if everyone is okay.
These attacks take
their toll, especially on the children.
People are not only injured by rockets but by the rush to shelter. Injuries from tripping or falling out of bed are common. Worst of all though is the trauma, especially for children.
Oshri, a father from Sderot, explains the trauma children face, “There are a lot of people in Sderot, and a lot of children especially, when the sirens go off you see half of them immediately wet their pants.”
“This is something you really see. Stand in a grocery store during a siren and you will see
it.”
“It starts with the shaking and the anxiety
they experience shows on them physically.” Israelis are resilient people, but these
attacks take their toll, especially on the children.
Some children are afraid to sleep alone, preferring to sleep in the safe room, or with
always close to a shelter.
Hamas terrorists are often calling to “wipe
out” the Jews from the land of Israel. They want to terrorise these Jewish communities and make them flee.
Paradoxically, ever since the terrorists started to target civilian communities with rockets, these communities have grown and become more prominent. The schools, for example, are now reinforced with rocket-proof classrooms and rocket-proof lunchrooms.
As a result, the buildings have become even stronger, taller and more permanent.
We often talk about Israel making the desert bloom. The same can be said of the people. Despite the constant threats and the trauma, these Israeli communities are building a better world for themselves. They are overcoming adversity and thriving in the harshest conditions.
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