By Ashoke Raj |
Ashkelon [Israel], October 11 (ANI): The Israel–Hamas war continues to wreak havoc on the lives of Israeli residents, with many forced to flee their homes and seek refuge as rocket attacks intensify. Residents of Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel, are among those enduring the daily fear and uncertainty brought about by this protracted conflict.
Yaacov, an Israeli national from Ashkelon, vividly recounted his upsetting experience, stating, “We came here because a rocket fell on our building… we have no shelter, we escaped thanks to local administration and they suggested us to come here to this hotel and this is a good place. My 11-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter, my wife and I are staying here.
The fear and urgency felt by Yaacov and his family mirror the widespread anxiety and turmoil that have gripped residents in the region. Ashkelon, like many other Israeli cities and towns, has been the target of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, leading to a dire need for safe havens for its residents.
Galaia, another resident of Ashkelon, shares a similar sentiment, “My children and family are here (hotel) because rockets fell on the roof of our neighbour’s house, our windowpanes were broken… for one week, we have been staying here, now we don’t know if this place is safe… we want a new place… I want to tell my Prime Minister that… finish this terrorism as soon as possible.”
Galaia‘s plea reflects the frustration and longing for an end to the ongoing conflict. The emotional toll it has taken on families and individuals cannot be overstated, as the daily threat of rocket attacks and the trauma of seeking refuge in unfamiliar surroundings continue to plague their lives.
As the conflict rages on, Israeli residents like Yaacov and Galaia continue to hope for an end to the violence and a return to normalcy. Their stories serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of this enduring conflict and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution that can bring stability and security to the region.
According to the latest updates, at least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 people are wounded. On the other hand, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids after Israel launched a strong counter-offensive. The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli air raids. Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said.
A day ago, in a stern warning to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “though Israel did not start this war” but “will finish it”. “Israel is at war. We didn’t want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn’t start this war, Israel will finish it,” said Netanyahu in an address to the nation. (ANI)
‘Crazy chaos’: Israeli survivor describes attack on beach rave
Tel Aviv [Israel], October 11 (ANI/TPS): The Supernova Sukkot Music Festival was supposed to be an all-night rave on the beach of Kibbutz Re’im. But Sahar Ben Sela and the event’s 3,000 participants could not have known that they would be at the epicentre of the deadliest terror attack in Israeli history. The festival was well-advertised on social media, and it is believed Hamas was aware of it too.
Terrorists attacked the festival, killing at least 260 people and taking captives back to Gaza. Other nearby communities came under similar attacks while Hamas also fired rockets at Israeli cities. The Israeli death toll from the four days of violence stands at 900 and is expected to climb.
Recovering from his injuries at Tel Aviv‘s Ichilov Hospital, Ben Sela, from Herzliya, said he arrived at the party at 3:00 am. “When we went to the tent to get a friend from there, rockets flew at us in a shower. They stopped the music, we heard alarms. Within a second we saw a terrorist attack. We got into the car and started to escape. There was crazy chaos. People were driving 120 [km/hour] under live fire,” Ben Sela recalled.
Unable to hold back tears, he said, “They started shooting at us, threw a grenade and after a minute when everyone was screaming like crazy, another grenade passed over me and rubbed my head. I saw behind me bodies that absorbed the shrapnel. My friend was shot from point-blank range. Everyone who was in the first and second row — they were murdered.”
A bullet hit Ben Sela in the elbow and he also took shrapnel injuries in the leg and the ribs.
At that point, the terrorist’s gun jammed. Ben Sela looked on the floor for any weapons, but not finding any, he got into an abandoned police car and managed to call for help on its radio. “They told me to run. I tried to start the car and failed, while my friend tried to perform CPR on his partner,” he recalled.
“The terrorists shouted ‘She’s dead’. They are human animals, killers with evil in their eyes. They slaughtered us from point-blank range. They shot and saw that they enjoyed it, they smiled.” It took hours to evacuate the site.
“I was evacuated to an ambulance that was waiting to receive more wounded. They brought up parents with a child who was injured all over his body and an elderly man who was dying next to me, but I couldn’t even support him. Three hours passed, chaos.” (ANI/TPS)
