On Thursday, Jimmy, a volunteer paramedic and one of the first respondents on site during the 7 October Hamas attack, rushed to action when a series of sirens sounded across Holon, a city south of Tel Aviv.
“When the sirens sound, first respondents have to get into their vehicles and wait for the calls from the control hub to start coming in,” Jimmy, a 36-year-old Arab-Israeli, who grew up in Jordan and East Jerusalem, told Euronews.
“As we headed to the impacted site, I realised that we were nearing my building. When we got there, I discovered that yes — it was my building which had been destroyed by a missile.”
“I had only moved in the day before, because the apartment I had been living in for four years in Revohot — south of Tel Aviv — was destroyed by an Iranian missile earlier this week,” explained Jimmy.
“All the remaining clothes I own are ruined, as is the few bits of furniture I had left.”
“I’ve been through — and seen — a lot in the last few years, but with time I have learned to disconnect my feelings, because otherwise I would just sit and cry at this never-ending war,” said Jimmy, who runs a delivery business, alongside his volunteering activities.
“The hardest part for me is that I have an eight-month-old son who I haven’t seen for months now, because my wife and he are in Eilat, in the south of Israel, where it’s much safer than here.”
“The thing is, I have to keep working when I can, and I also feel that I am needed as a volunteer,” added Jimmy.
Misunderstood by Europeans
Although the country has been on standby since Wednesday — the sixth day of Israel and Iran’s open conflict — restrictions on civilians were eased, and workplace activities, as well as small gatherings, were allowed to resume.
Despite this, schools remain shut and the streets are empty. For many in Israel, raising children in this climate is tough.
“I wouldn’t be so worried if I didn’t have her”, 30-year-old Emma from the US told Euronews.
She lives in Jaffa in southern Tel Aviv, with her husband and their 10-month-old son.
“We don’t have a bomb shelter in our building because we live in an Arab neighbourhood, my husband is an Arab Israeli. Many of the affordable apartments in Israel are not equipped, so at night we take our baby and go sleep at my mother-in-law’s house,” Emma told Euronews.
For Emma, there is a clear reason that Israel finds itself in this situation. “I think my morale is better than most Israelis’ and that’s because I don’t believe that what the government is doing is right — so I understand why we are in this position.”
Nizan, 34, is a tech entrepreneur and father-to-be who usually resides in Tel Aviv. But since Israel’s escalating conflict with Iran, he and his wife have relocated to Haifa, in the north of the country, to stay with her family.
“The noises we are hearing from the shelter are very different to those we hear when there are missiles fired from Hamas or by Hezbollah. Even with the Iron Dome, it sounds like a truck is going through a tunnel right over your head,” Nizan told Euronews.
Many in Israel fear being caught out by a missile when they are out doing essential things like heading to the shops or driving to pick up supplies, as the conflict remains particularly hard on civilians.
According to health officials, some 24 Israelis were killed by Iranian rocket salvos in the first week of the conflict, while more than 2,400 have received medical treatment for injuries. All were civilians. Meanwhile, Iranian rights groups based abroad have reported that at least 657 people were killed in Iran by Thursday.
“If you are out, the instructions are to just lay on the ground with your hands above your head — but I don’t think that really does much. On the evening of Iran’s first attack, we were driving to Haifa and we saw the sky light up with so many missiles.”
“We weren’t sure whether to stop because there are alarms all over the country, and you don’t know if it’s for the area. If it’s safer to go on, or to stop on the side of the road,” added Nizan.
As a business owner, Nizan manages his team remotely, despite workplace restrictions having been lifted.
“I run a business of 12 people. Every morning I get worried calls from my colleagues, who tell me they have children who are scared because of a nearby missile or something, it’s hard for them to focus”, added Nizan.
“I feel misunderstood by people living in Europe. Israel escalated the conflict because Iran has repeatedly stated they want to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.”
“However, the success of this open conflict will of course be measured by whether this fighting between Israel and Iran continues long-term”, concluded Nizan.
‘Your head is filled with worries and insecurities’
Oriella, a teacher who lives in Tel Aviv, told Euronews that she feels “exhausted.”
“There are no nights, your head is filled with worries and insecurities, because you are mentally exhausted, because we have been at war for years,” she said.
“In my apartment block we have a shelter, people share small talk, but they don’t really want to speak — they are tired of having to converse in the middle of the night. They want to sleep. The children in the shelter are either chatting or crying”, said Oriella, 59.
“I don’t like wars, I believe in diplomatic solutions — I think that is what we should be working towards with Iran. People are experiencing so much suffering and for what? To have wars again, and again, and again,” sighed Oriella.
35-year-old Zohran lives in Tel Aviv and works in the nightlife industry. However, his work has been placed on hold, and he is now waiting to see whether he will receive any financial compensation from the government, he explained.
“I would say I am used to having my life on hold”, Zohran told Euronews.
Not having a shelter in his building is a major worry, he added. “Two minutes away from my flat there is an underground parking lot. So I run there, with many other people.”
“Although I am a strong opponent of Netanyahu, with this war against Iran’s regime, most of us are with the government. This is a war with a country, where the leaders say they want to destroy us”, concluded Zohran.
