Sirens sound in Tel Aviv

As this piece was being prepared for publication, J-Wire’s editor was talking on FaceTime to his son in Tel Aviv when the sirens went off followed by two booms and the conversation resumed from the safe room. Israel’s New Zealand embassy has supplied the latest available information.

The embassy was responding to a statement made by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister published earlier today on J-Wire urging NZ citizens currently in Gaza to leave.

In recent days there has been an escalation in rocket fire on Israel. During Tuesday, 8 July, 146 rockets were launched from Gaza. Of these, 117 struck Israel and 29 were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Forty percent of the Israeli population – approximately 3.5 million people – is currently in range of the rockets from Gaza including residents of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Be’er Sheva, Ashdod Ashkelon and up to Hadera in the north.

In addition, terrorists attempted to infiltrate Israel to carry out an attack. They arrived via the sea near Zikim. The IDF neutralized the attackers.

Video of the attack…and how it was dealt with

Due to Israel’s extensive civil defense preparations, only minor injuries were reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a statement:

“Israel will not tolerate the firing of rockets on our cities and towns. We have therefore significantly expanded our operations against Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza. This comes after our repeated efforts to restore calm were met with increased Hamas rocket fire.

Israel is not eager for war, but the security of our citizens is our primary consideration.

Israel targets Hamas terrorists and not innocent civilians. By contrast, Hamas targets Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians.
Hamas, therefore, bears full responsibility for any harm that comes to Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike.

We are determined to give our citizens the safety and security they deserve”.