(Sderot) “Every second we thought we were going to die,” says Ortal Dadya, a 39-year-old Israeli mother, coming out of a secure room in her residence in Sderot where she had hidden when Hamas fighters stormed the city.
It’s “something I’ve never seen,” she confides, referring to the violence that broke out in her town near the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, the streets were still stained with blood and littered with bullet casings, the day after the surprise and unprecedented offensive carried out by the Islamist movement in power in the Palestinian enclave since 2007.
The lingering smell of burning metal still hung around the burned police station. Smoke still rose from the ruins of the building.
Sderot was one of the many targets of Hamas fighters, who, taking advantage of the element of surprise, bypassed the imposing security barrier erected by Israel around the Gaza Strip, targeting both military positions and civilians. in the middle of the street.
The military offensive was carried out in the middle of Shabbat, the Jewish weekly rest.
PHOTO JACK GUEZ, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Burnt cars
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long” war, which has already left more than 600 dead and 2,000 injured on the Israeli side, according to an official report. In the Gaza Strip, 424 Palestinians were killed and 2,300 injured, according to local authorities.
The residents of Sderot remain worried. “I want to leave Sderot but I’m afraid, my children refuse to go out,” confides Mme Dadya to AFP, standing in a stairwell after spending more than a day holed up at home.
Israeli authorities did not specify how many people died in Sderot.
The scars of violence are everywhere in this southern Israeli town, with swarms of flies swarming around blood-soaked clothing and emergency medical supplies strewn outside the police station.
Some Israeli residents watch cautiously from their apartment windows, and one man works to clear away debris and broken windows.
Daniel Machlouf, visiting the city at the time of the attack, confides that he lost friends during this offensive.
“Everything failed”
“The rockets have started [à pleuvoir] and we sat there, waiting for it to end,” recounts the 24-year-old young man. “We just hope that everything will end now,” he whispers.
PHOTO RONEN ZVULUN, REUTERS
The Iron Dome, Israel’s anti-missile system, intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, seen from Sderot.
As he speaks, explosions are heard in the direction of Gaza, from which thick plumes of black smoke rise.
Although residents living near the border have become accustomed to the warning sirens over the years, Israeli losses in previous wars have been significantly lower than those on the Palestinian side.
Yaakov Shoshani, 70, says he grabbed a kitchen knife and a screwdriver as soon as he heard of the intrusion of armed fighters into Sderot.
“The systems have all failed here, whether it’s intelligence, military intelligence, civilian intelligence, detection systems, the border fence [avec Gaza]everything failed,” he laments.
Palestinian fighters not only targeted security forces in the city, they also opened fire on civilians.
Cars riddled with bullets litter the streets of Sderot, and many vehicles are abandoned after crashing into poles or trees. A resident shows a white motorcycle helmet stained with blood and pierced by bullets.
Israeli forces have increased their presence in the city, with hundreds of troops patrolling amid rumors that fighters may still be in the area.
On Sunday, dozens of tanks and other military vehicles were heading towards the Gaza border along surrounding roads.
PHOTO TAMIR KALIFA, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Israeli convoy heads to Gaza
Mr. Shoshani, standing on a street in Sderot, believes that the authorities must be held responsible for the tragedy that struck his city: “People should be judged for the disorder they caused. »