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Photo: AFP
Netivot home damaged by direct hit from a Gaza rocket
Photo: AFP

'It's like a volcano erupted in our home,' says survivor of direct rocket strike

Direct hit on home in Netivot causes major damage but family kept safe in protected area; neighbor says she saw flames, reinforces message that no one should be complacent when sirens sound

The Hadad family of the southern town of Netivot had a narrow escape Tuesday when their home sustained a direct hit by a rocket from nearby Gaza. Thanks to the family's vigilance, no one was hurt in the attack.

   

 

Hundreds of rockets have been fired at Israeli communities as far north as Tel Aviv since Tuesday morning, after the targeted killing of Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Atta in a predawn IDF airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

 

The home of the Hadad family sustained a direct hit from a rocket fired from Gaza  (Photo: AFP)
The home of the Hadad family sustained a direct hit from a rocket fired from Gaza (Photo: AFP)

 

"We immediately realized the rocket had landed inside the house, " Batsheva Hadad says.

 

A police sapper carries an exploded rocket from the house it struck in Netivot, Nov. 12 2019
A police sapper carries an exploded rocket from the house it struck in Netivot, Nov. 12 2019

 

"As soon as we came out, I saw a hole in the kitchen ceiling and another in the dining room. It's like a volcano erupted inside our house," Batsheva says, adding that she could not stop crying from the shock.

 

The aftermath of a direct hit from a Gaza rocket (Photo: Israel Police)
The aftermath of a direct hit from a Gaza rocket (Photo: Israel Police)

  

The Hadad family are grieving a daughter recently lost to cancer.

 

"I had a bad feeling yesterday. I have not been well," she tells the media.

 

Batsheva Hadad stands outside her home after it sustained a direct hit from a Gaza rocket (Photo: Haim Horenstein)
Batsheva Hadad stands outside her home after it sustained a direct hit from a Gaza rocket (Photo: Haim Horenstein)

  

The Hadads' neighbor Na'ama Davidi says two sirens went off in quick succession.

 

"I did not make it to safety on the first, but did reach the protected area as the second siren blared," she says.

 

A policeman stands in front of a house hit by a Gaza rocket in the southern town of Netivot, Nov. 12 2019
A policeman stands in front of a house hit by a Gaza rocket in the southern town of Netivot, Nov. 12 2019

"I saw flames from my window and I was sure my house was hit," she says.

 

"My message to everyone is to take all necessary precautions and run to the protected areas. I used to be complacent too, but not anymore." 

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.13.19, 09:58
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