I spent the day participating in a media tour of Sderot and other Israeli towns close to the border with Gaza.
The day included a security briefing, several Code Red (Tzeva Adom) alerts, an unexpected view of the immediate aftermath of a rocket which landed in Sderot, a play by children at a local kibbutz and an analysis of the military situation with Col. Richard Kemp.
Here a brief account of my day via updates on Twitter and Facebook.
11:45
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270821476033245184]
11:48
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270826020419010560]
We then went to Sapir College, near Sderot. All classes were cancelled due to rocket fire.
We were listening to a presentation by an academic expert on the psychological trauma caused by terrorism when the Code Red alert sounded.
12:14
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270832439021162496]
The rocket landed in a neighborhood nearby, so our guides took us to the site of the blast.
12:42
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270839603114688512]
Fortunately, there were no injuries.
A boy whose home was right next to where the rocket landed displayed a bit of bravado and claimed a souvenir.
12:47
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270840794942939137]
A minute later there was another Code Red and we were able to get to a bomb shelter in a home near where we were standing.
Sderot residents have 15 seconds to get to safety once they hear the alert.
This was a tiny glimpse into the intolerable situation which residents of Israeli towns within close range of Gaza must deal with constantly.
12:48
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270841074019348480]
We then toured Kibbutz Alumim and saw the children perform a play dramatizing how they deal with the constant threat of rocket fire, entitled ‘Code Red’.
We then listened to a military assessment of Israel’s current operation by Col. Richard Kemp, former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, who explained the extraordinary efforts of the IDF to avoid civilian casualties – resulting in a civilian to combatant ratio in Cast Lead, and Pillar of Defense, far superior to recent NATO operations.
[tweet https://twitter.com/adamlevick/status/270879821968588800]
Finally, we took a brief detour to get a glimpse at an Israeli tank stationed near the Gaza border.
More than 1200 rockets have been launched at Israeli towns since November 10, and over 12,800 since 2001.