Avi Elkayam, a resident of Sderot whose house was hit by a rocket, told 103FM on Thursday that his family is for the first time considering leaving the southern city after his wife and daughter made it into a shelter just seconds before the rocket hit their home.
“There wasn’t a siren. As soon as they heard the Iron Dome go out – the battery is right next to our home and we always hear the Iron Dome before the siren – they went into the shelter immediately and two seconds later it happened. I think there was some sort of blunder here,” said Elkayam.
Elkayam and his wife have lived in Sderot for about 25 years, stating that the anxiety created by the frequent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip affects them every day.
“Even if the garbage man raises the garbage can and shakes it strongly we get alarmed. Every small boom shakes us up. We get alarmed by every sound,” added Elkayam to 103FM.
The Elkayams’ house was heavily damaged by the rocket fire and they are currently staying in another city until repairs can be done.
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza, in Sderot, Israel, May 10, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)“Up until now [we didn’t think about leaving], because we were used to it and it hadn’t directly affected us. There were some times in the past that it fell nearby, but not on us, in our home,” added Elkayam. “There are some [others] who are also thinking of leaving, but we all love the city, it is small, like a family, everyone knows everyone.”
When asked if he thinks the government is doing enough, Elkayam stressed that he does not, saying “they should do what is needed so there is quiet for many years. Our children were born into this [situation].”
Four homes hit by rockets overnight
Four homes in Sderot, Nir Am and Ashkelon were hit by rockets on Wednesday night. Over 500 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel since Operation Shield and Arrow began on Tuesday morning, with over 100 falling short.
Comments are closed.