In Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel, Sunday was supposed to mark the end of the Jewish high holidays, the beginning of the work week, and the commencement of classes again.
Instead, there was hardly anyone on the streets.
Some of the hundreds of Palestinian gunmen who fled from Gaza were still on the loose here only one day ago. And terrible developments have persisted throughout the neighbourhood.
Israeli troops may be seen pursuing terrorists who hijacked a car in a video posted on social media. They were killed in a bloody shootout by the side of the road.
We only come across a few tiny gatherings near the Barzilai Medical Centre. The emergency ward’s entrance is guarded by weary medical personnel. Due to the unexpected onslaught by the militant organisation Hamas, which controls Gaza, they have treated more than 400 people.
According to Prof. Hezi Levy, general director of the hospital, “It was very difficult, a lot of casualties have been brought one after one, one after one very quickly.” “I am very experienced, but I haven’t seen in my life such a scenario.”
One 30-year-old man smoking cigarettes seemed to be very unsteady. He claims to be a medical professional from Tel Aviv who has come here as a patient after taking part in an overnight dance party in some areas close to Gaza that went horribly wrong on Saturday morning. He requests that I not mention his name.
He had wounds on his head and was shot in the hand, losing a finger.
“The rocket fire began in the morning. Everyone fled to the road to drive home as they became frightened. The gunshots started as soon as we got on the road. It truly shocked me. There were automobile accidents and murders, the man claims.
“I made a police call. No one could assist us. We were trapped within a struggle for an hour and a half, powerless. Eventually, I boarded a vehicle with a few others. I attempted to evacuate two injured because I am a medic. People in army fatigues who weren’t actually soldiers started firing at me as I approached a junction.
Festival goers escaped under a barrage of gunfire, saying it was “like a horror movie.”
Many Israelis I speak with are astounded at how the size and intricacy of the Hamas operation overpowered their able security officers. There are now complaints about the authorities’ lack of assistance.
One crying pair is doing their own enquiries while visiting various hospitals. They have no idea if their missing son is hurt, dead, or one of the many hostages that armed fighters have kidnapped and carried back to Gaza.
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Rachel Ezra, a distressed mother, confronts an MP who is in the hospital. “I want you to help me find my boy, Oz and his girlfriend Naomi – they’re aged 24 and 23,” she yells. “I don’t know what to say!”
She, like with many others, demands for the most severe military action against Gaza as payback for what occurred.
A three-hour trip from his home in northern Israel, a volunteer Israeli who does not wish to be identified hurried here to assist the medical staff. He claims that while treating many of the injured soldiers amid “horrible” slaughter, they share his desire to see Hamas severely punished.
I also spoke with the soldiers, who are very dissatisfied. He adds that he believes foreign diplomats are keeping Israel’s response in check. “They want us to react way stronger and to be less politically correct when it comes to our way of warfare,” he says.
The Israeli military claims to be conducting a decisive campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is only a short distance away, in the meantime.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, its top spokesman, has stated that “the days ahead will be long and difficult.” “We have paid a heavy price but we will restore security to the people of Israel.”
As Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system catches rockets fired by Palestinian militants, booms may frequently be heard overhead.
Residents have been shielded during numerous prior Hamas-related battles. But nobody in Ashkelon feels very secure right now.
BBC
