‘Too scary’: Israeli border town of Sderot evacuates amid Gaza war
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Residents preparing to board a bus, as they are evacuated from the city of Sderot, Israel.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SDEROT, Israel – Shmirit Edri gave birth just three days ago, but she left hospital to get on an evacuation bus on Sunday to leave southern Israel’s Sderot – one of the sites targeted by Hamas gunmen in their deadly Oct 7 attack.
Ms Edri’s infant, born prematurely, is still with her husband at the hospital in Ashkelon city, about 30km from Sderot.
“I am taking our three other children to the south to safety. I’ll come back to the hospital and we’ll take turns,” she told AFP.
Located just about a kilometre from the Gaza Strip, Sderot, with a population of 30,000, has for years been targeted by rockets fired from the territory ruled by Hamas.
Inhabitants are no stranger to evacuation orders, having already had to clear out during previous wars against Hamas.
But the fear is palpable after the attack Oct 7 attack, when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border
Israeli forces have responded with heavy bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza, where the authorities say at least 2,450 people have been killed.
Ahead of a looming Israeli ground offensive in Gaza to “destroy” Hamas, classified by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist group, Sderot’s city authorities have urged residents to evacuate.
Mr Mordechai Barsheshet, 57, said he finally agreed to leave after having tried to “resist” for a week.
“It’s too scary to stay. The days and nights are the same – the rockets, the explosions,” he said.
“We sleep an hour, we hide in the shelter, we can’t take a shower or shave.”
‘Tears, fears’
On Sunday morning, Sderot’s streets were mostly deserted, save for a few patrolling police officers.
Windows shattered by bullets, damaged electricity poles, and burnt-out vehicles on the streets still bear witness to the Oct 7 attack.
At a house recently hit by a rocket, food remains were splattered all over the kitchen.
Israelis waiting to board a bus as they evacuate from the southern Israeli city of Sderot to safer areas.
PHOTO: AFP
Residents have grown accustomed to an ongoing soundtrack of ground-shaking booms as Israel hammers Gaza, as well as wailing sirens when rockets fly back from the Gaza Strip.
The city authorities arranged for three buses to leave from a school at the centre of Sderot on Sunday, each taking 50 passengers.
But even their journey out is not without risk – the main road they would be travelling is under constant threat of rockets fired by Hamas.
If all goes well, they will be taken to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
Many took only small amounts of luggage with them, hoping that they would be able to return home soon.
Around half of Sderot’s inhabitants have already fled in the last days, according to Israeli media reports.
“We’re going to Eilat. We’ll come back as soon as we can, Sderot is our home,” said Ms Helen Afteker, 50, before boarding one of the buses.
“It’s tough, it’s tears, fears at every alert. We have to go, it’s better for the children.” AFP
