Israeli families experience uncertain nights in bomb protection rooms

Israeli families experience uncertain nights in bomb protection rooms

Tel Aviv, Israel - in the last three nights, sirens have driven the population into the shelters in the last three nights. This happens in the course of the escalating attacks between Iran and Israel. Israelis are forced to prepare for possible longer stays in these rooms after they have been treated as mere storage rooms over the years.

preparations for an emergency

In Zentralrael, Rivi Ginzburg laid out two mattresses for her three grandchildren in the shelter, supplemented with toys and coloring books. "We just don't know what will come," she says in an interview with CNN. "The preparations indicate that we have to stay here longer, so we have snacks, water and above all everything for the children."

a feeling of uncertainty

This feeling of uncertainty is currently shaping families across the country. While Israel continues his attacks on Iran, Iran emphasized that the retaliatory measures will not be decreased. Fixed for hours in front of the television and the latest stand by her cell phones, Ginzburg's family has prepared for another night in which she runs around between the bedrooms and the shelter.

The challenge of everyday life

"You can laugh if you are at home with children and family," said Ginzburg. "The situation is anything but funny, but you have to keep your normality." However, the shelters do not offer absolutely safe protection. An Iranian ballistic rocket met a shelter in Petah Tikva early on Monday morning, whereby people were killed in the protected space, reports Lieutenant Colonel Tali Versano Eisman of Israel's home protection command.

Together in the crisis

"There was a direct hit on the wall of the shelter," said Eisman. But the people in the rooms above and below were unharmed. Nevertheless, the shelter remains the best and safest place to be. " Moria Shipony tries to hide the stress from her three children in a house in Rehovot. When the sirens force the residents into the old shelter, Shipony grabs their survival backpack, which is filled with chargers, water and snacks, and leads the family down. With 30 people, the room quickly gets hot and narrow.

frustration and uncertainty

"The children ask when it all ends and I just don't have any answers," says Shipony. "It is frustrating. I cannot assure you that everything will be fine. I can only do as much as you wake up at night and bring them to the shelter." However, she tried to explain the existential threat to her family that Israel sees in Iran, has admitted that this is difficult. "It is very difficult not to bring our political views into this situation while our Prime Minister wants to survive politically," she added.

the way to security

NOY BITAN, a student at the Hebrew University, has left her apartment in Jerusalem to move to her parents in Ashdod, a coastal city about 32 kilometers north of Gaza. Your apartment has no shelter, so she has to walk to the shared accommodation that connects her parents' house with the neighbors. The shelter, which is "only a few square meters tall", offers space for 10 people, but only room for four chairs. Those who wear a child have a place, says Bitan.

"Everyone try to stay calm," added Bitan, "and normally we succeed."