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Running From Rockets — a Moment of Reality in Israel (VIDEO)
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows people stand around apparent remains of a ballistic missile lying in the desert, following an attack by Iran on Israel, near the southern city of Arad, Israel October 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
What’s it like to dodge missiles in Israel?
Tuesday evening, sirens sounded throughout central Israel — all the way from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv — indicating incoming missiles from the Houthi terror organization in Yemen.
The Houthis’ official motto is “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse on the Jews, victory to Islam.”
All modern homes and buildings in Israel are required to have a bomb shelter, though in some older buildings, residents might have to settle for taking shelter in a stairwell or in a nearby public shelter located outside of the apartment building. By contrast, many modern homes have a bomb shelter located within each apartment, which is often used as an office or a spare bedroom in more peaceful times.
In my residence (a multi-story building), we have one bomb shelter on every floor. For me, that is about a 20 second walk — as a rule, the sirens in Tel Aviv sound 90 seconds prior to the expected impact, which gives me plenty of time to get to safety. However, on Tuesday night, I was having dinner with a friend at an outdoor cafe in nearby Ramat Gan. The only outdoor bomb shelter in the vicinity was already full, so we had to move quickly to find an alternative.
As a last resort — for example, when one is in an open area — the instructions are to lay flat on the ground, face down, with fingers interlaced behind the back of the head. The logic is that nearby shrapnel typically has an upward trajectory. Of course, in the case of a direct hit, none of that will help, so laying out in the open is a rather difficult and unsettling experience.
As you can see in the following video, we contemplated that option, before deciding we could make it to a nearby residence in time, if we moved quickly.
We were in good company that day, as (elsewhere in Israel) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, were also rushed to bomb shelters.
A variety of missile defense systems protect Israel: the Iron Dome is designed for short range rockets, such as those out of Gaza, while the Israeli “Arrow” and the American “THAAD” systems are designed for long range ballistic missiles, such as those launched by the Houthis in Yemen. However, no system is perfect, as we saw earlier this month, when a missile struck just outside Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, injuring seven.
Even when the defenses work perfectly, the impact will often produce a rain of shrapnel, which can be deadly if one is standing directly under it, as seen in this tragic video from the Iranian assault on Israel last October. For these reasons, missile defense systems are no substitute for bomb shelters, and the danger is quite real.
Below is a zoomed in “Red Alert” map of the immediate area around Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan (the location of the above video). As you can see, there were alerts in almost every neighborhood and locality.
Shortly after finding shelter, we heard a distant “boom,” indicating that the defense systems had struck the incoming missile. We waited a few minutes longer in case of shrapnel or additional missiles, and then returned to our dinner. I told the waitress that we hadn’t actually ordered the siren and would like to return it. (Sometimes, a little dark humor seems to help.)
It’s important to emphasize that Israel is fighting an entirely defensive war on seven fronts, against internationally-designated terror organizations committed to Israel’s total destruction.
Some of these terror organizations are linked to ISIS or Al-Qaeda, and many espouse Nazi ideology, including studying Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Israel has reiterated time and again that it is willing to end its defensive military actions in Gaza at any moment, if Hamas will only release the remaining hostages and remove itself from power. So far, Hamas, and its allies in the region, have refused to do so, and their attacks on Israel continue.
It is also important to note that while attacks by the Houthis and other organizations target all of Israel, Israel’s response focuses on rocket launchers, military infrastructure, as well as air and sea ports that are used to support terror activity, often with advance warnings to protect civilians. Israel is not bound by the US/Houthi ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump last week, and Israel is considering expanding its response to include Iranian targets, as Iran is the primary source of military support behind the Houthi attacks.
Fortunately there were no deaths reported on Tuesday, and only minor injuries sustained from the rush to bomb shelters (not from the missiles themselves).
Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.
The post Running From Rockets — a Moment of Reality in Israel (VIDEO) first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.