Residents take cover (Archive)
Photo: Ido Erez
False alarm causes scare in south
Southern residents enter secured rooms as siren goes off; police: Alert system malfunctioned
A false alarm caused a scare Friday afternoon at several southern communities, including Beersheba, Ofakim, Rahat, and Ashdod. Police later said a malfunction in the anti-rocket siren system caused the needless panic.
Residents in various southern regions reported hearing a siren around 4:15 pm. Concerned residents rushed into secured rooms, only to be told a few minutes later that no rockets were fired from Gaza.
Ashdod resident Ilya recounted the tense moments: "We heard a siren, entered the building, and took cover."
The false alarm reminded residents that they are still within range of Palestinian rockets.
"I felt helpless," said Dina Zilberman. "I was wondering whether I was wondering whether I was imagining it or not…after it was over, I said thank God that nothing happened."
Zilberman added that just like many other Israelis, she feels that the government did not finish the job in the Gaza Strip.
"They did not get to the root of the problem," she said. "I knew that the missile fire will continue after the operation."
Yoni and Reivtal Pelker, who have eight children, also heard the siren go off.
"The children are already used to it. They hide under the table," Yoni said. "However, it's still nerve-racking, and we try not to show it to the kids."
