Hundreds of Rockets Continue Launching into Israel
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A major escalation in violence occurred overnight and is continuing today as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad indiscriminately fire hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities and towns, including the capital Jerusalem. Sirens were heard going off in Tel Aviv. Typically attacks have been on the Gaza border for years but the current attacks are hitting the nation’s capital and “Silicon Valley” (Tel Aviv).
Tragically, there have been many injuries, including children and a few fatalities. Israel television is showing images of Israelis running to safety in bomb shelters and secure rooms. But there are not enough shelters.
When I asked some of my colleges in Israel why attacks now? The response immediately was, “Does our enemy need a reason to attack us?” There are a likely a number of reasons but a few obvious ones are because May 10th was Israel’s “Jerusalem Day,” celebrating the victory of the Six-Day War in 1967. Hamas and Arabs do not want Israel to own any land in the Middle East. They have said for years that they would drive Israel into the sea. Another reason is because Ramadan (an Islamic holiday) ends at the close of May 11. In the past, Israel has experienced intensified terrorism during and at the end of this holiday.
In the last 48 hours, 500 rockets were fired into the most populated areas where our volunteers have been working tirelessly to protect the civilians. These are the worst attacks they have experienced since the Operation Protective Edge in 2014. To the right is a map of the areas that experienced rocket fire from the Red Alert (a free app on your phone).
Song For Israel reaffirms our solidarity and support for the State of Israel, its sovereignty, and its right to defend itself against terrorism targeting its citizens. We express our condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and pray for the safety of all of our Israeli friends, family and soldiers, a full and speedy recovery to the injured, and the restoration of quiet to the region. Will you please join us by sharing that prayer? In addition, we are grateful for U.S. support for the Iron Dome defense system which, despite several direct hits on Israeli sites, has no doubt significantly diminished the impact of this assault and has saved countless lives.
Many have only seconds to run for shelter and there are none close enough or are already full. Song For Israel has provided five bomb shelters along the Gaza borders and one shelter in Northern Israel but many more shelters are needed. One steel/cement shelter costs $26,000 and we have over $11,000 already donated toward our seventh shelter. It is needed NOW. If you have an extra $10 or more, would you please consider donating to help save lives in Israel? To donate, please click here. To learn more about our Bomb Shelter Campaign, please click here.