The Lives Lost in Ashkelon Rocket Attack
Stand for Israel | May 11, 2021
Earlier today, those who stand for Israel bowed their heads in prayer for the families of two women killed during the ongoing rocket attacks on Israel by terrorists in Gaza. Now, The Times of Israel reports on those lives taken in the attacks, and how a city handles the continued violence:
Guy Mann, who lives in Ashkelon near a building that suffered a direct hit, lamented the poor access to shelters in an interview with Army Radio Tuesday.
“I was woken with by a big explosion which was extremely intense,” he said. “The house is not protected and it is not realistic to get to the neighborhood shelters, especially when the barrages are so continuous. We can only rely on the Iron Dome [missile defense system] and luck.”
“At around 5 a.m., we were woken by sirens. We had to hide in the wardrobe because there is no shelter in the house,” said Shelly Belayev, whose building was heavily damaged, its facade blackened and an apartment devastated.
“There was a very strong explosion, I have never heard a sound like it. I quickly realized the missile fell here,” she said. “I went outside, I was in shock…”
Two women, one aged in her 40s, the other in her mid-60s, were killed in Ashkelon, the Magen David Adom emergency service announced on Tuesday, while the city’s Barzilai Medical Center said it was treating 74 people. The victims were not immediately identified, but television reports said a rocket directly hit the home of an elderly woman and her caregiver, killing one of them.
On Tuesday morning, residents of the city, home to around 150,000 people, ventured out to survey the damage, pushing strollers near wrecked cars…