Tel Aviv: life under fire continues

The next war with Hamas will begin with rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, neither local residents nor army sources doubt this today. However, there is not much difference between Tel Aviv, whose residents have not gone to their shelters due to an air raid warning over the past two days, and Rishon Lezion, where a rocket fired by militants from the Gaza Strip hit a residential building. Except that the name of the first is well known to everyone, and the second (by the way, the sister city of St. Petersburg), located just 15 km to the southwest, is known to few outside Israel.

This is the first case of a direct hit in the center of the country, where until now rockets have fallen in unpopulated areas or were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. This time, an Iranian-made Fajr-5 damaged three floors of a 6-story building, completely destroying one of the apartments. The residents managed to take refuge in shelters, however, two received shrapnel wounds.

While the news broadcasts were discussing the truce, which was supposed to come either at nine in the evening or at midnight (but never came), rescue services tried to bring the building to a relatively safe state. Municipal services cleared the sidewalk from splinters and fragments of windows that flew out not only in the damaged house, but along the entire street.

Asi, who lives in a neighboring house, said that within minutes, dozens of police cars and ambulances arrived at the site of the rocket impact. Residents of the entire neighborhood rushed to the scene, and the explosion was so powerful that it was heard in the southern neighborhoods of Tel Aviv. That’s where the rocket was actually aimed, as Hamas militants hastened to announce.

In Tel Aviv itself, although life continues, it bears little resemblance to the usual. Half-empty buses during rush hours, many empty tables in trendy cafes, where seats usually need to be reserved well in advance. On the houses there are handwritten signs written by caring residents with information about the nearest shelter.

Against the backdrop of hostilities, the annual international culinary exhibition Israfood opened at the central exhibition complex in Tel Aviv. The organizers didn’t even think about canceling the event, but they didn’t know for sure how it would happen. Surprisingly, most foreign guests did not cancel their visits. Chef from France David Ducamp says that, having lived in Israel for two years, he was well aware of the situation in the country, so he came to the exhibition without hesitation. “The air raid signals in Tel Aviv literally took me by surprise,” he says. “I expected a lot, but not this. At the same time, I myself feel calm here, but my family in France is in a panic and demands that I came back immediately."

Adrian and Maria, tourists from Mexico, decided to spend the last three days on the Tel Aviv beach, because, despite the Pillar of Cloud and the second half of November, the sun is shining with all its might, the air temperature is about 25 degrees, and the water is even higher. “Even if a rocket falls here, the situation will be much calmer than in our homeland,” Adrian jokes. Yaron, a surfer practicing on a nearby beach, also feels completely safe: “The sea protects me.” Not everyone is so calm.

Australian tourist Walter chose to stay at the airport for more than a day. Ben-Gurion in order to fly home on the first flight. The rocket that fell into the sea near him discouraged any desire to continue traveling through the holy land. Together with him, a consultant from one of the government departments bought tickets for the first plane to the UK. An air raid signal caught him at the entrance to Tel Aviv, and without getting out of the taxi, he asked to be taken back to the airport. “Family, children are more important,” he explained to his colleagues the decision to return home for now.

In the evening hours, Tel Aviv streets are striking in their solitude. And it’s not a matter of fear, but a lack of mood. After work, Tel Aviv residents do not want nightlife, but rather get home and cling to the TV screens.

Yossi Ben-Udis, owner of the popular Traklin in the city center, says that 70 of the 100 reservations for the last two nights were canceled. Quite expensive Tel Aviv establishments try to lure visitors with discounts and special events, which also doesn’t work very well. “Two entrees for the price of one until Cloudsmoke ends,” reads the sign at the usually busy but now half-empty bar on Dizengoff Street. “But parking is easy to find,” locals joke darkly.

There is clearly no mood not only for bars and restaurants, but also for shopping. Last Friday, the long-awaited collection of the Maison Martin Margiela brand appeared in the flagship branch of the H&M chain. In London and New York it sold out in a matter of hours. In Tel Aviv, even four days later, many things remained on hangers. According to store clerks at the city's main shopping center, Azrieli, there have been far fewer visitors in recent days and sales have dropped sharply. Conservative estimates put trade volumes down 30%, but final figures due at the end of the month are likely to be even worse. Tel Avivians joke that only lingerie stores are thriving these days - everyone rushed to buy smart pajamas. After all, if there was an air raid warning at night, you would have to go down to the bomb shelter in all your glory.

Without a truce in sight, late in the evening about 300 demonstrators gathered in Rabin Square to support Operation Pillar of Cloud and the Israel Defense Forces. Protesters held signs reading “The people of Israel are alive,” “We are all warriors,” and “The people demand calm in the South.” Noa, one of the initiators of the demonstration, said that she organized everything spontaneously, through Facebook, and in just a day and a half: “Israel has the right to defend itself, and that’s what we came out to say today.” Meanwhile, the army press service summed up the results of another day of the operation: more than 300 missiles were fired at Israel and 133 targets were attacked in Gaza.