Israel declared a state of war a week ago after Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip, led by the Islamist movement Hamas, launched a combined operation, with the launch of more than thousands of rockets and the infiltration into Israeli territory, in a surprise and unprecedented attack.
It was an unprecedented aggression in Israel, not only because of its combined nature, but because of the number of rockets launched and the number of militiamen who managed to infiltrate Israeli territory, by land, by sea and by air, through the use of paragliders.
The Israeli army responded by attacking Hamas targets in Gaza from the air and appears to be preparing for a ground operation that would claim hundreds of Palestinian lives.
This is how some Colombians experienced the moments of terror of the Hamas attack.
(Read also: The painful messages with which they say goodbye to Antonio Macías: ‘There are no more tears left’)
The mermaids in the Holy Land
Juanita Rodríguez’s family, made up of 11 people, arrived in Israel on October 5. They were special guests to celebrate the religious vows of her cousin Juan David, a Catholic priest of the Franciscan order who has been living in the Holy Land for more than eight years.
During his first day everything went normally. The streets of Jerusalem and the warmth of its people harmonized the welcome of these Colombians, who never expected to feel the fear that war brings.
(You can read: Chronology of the conflict: the worst escalations between Israel and Hamas in recent years)
Palestinian militiamen take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel.
The real terror began the next day. Juanita was leaving to visit the Holy Sepulcher, the alarms in Jerusalem were activated, She saw the explosion of two missiles in the sky that were about to fall on the city, but they were neutralized by the iron dome.
The Rodríguez family had not been there for more than 48 hours when this Middle East conflict announced a new wave of attacks.
They reside in Israel, but they did not have a bunker nearby
On October 7, The Manjarrés Mejía family was on the first floor of an apartment in Jerusalem when their stay was interrupted. At 6:30 in the morning, the anti-missile alarms sounded and did not stop until 1 in the afternoon. This sound meant that they had only one minute to seek shelter in a bunker, before it became dangerous to be on the street.
(You can read: This is how Father ‘Chucho’ was trapped with a group of parishioners in Israel)
However, The nearest bunker was too far away, so they stayed in the apartment rooms. and they trusted that the Israeli defense system, the Iron Dome, would protect them. Andrea Mejía was with her husband Edward Manjarrés, her seven-year-old son Emanuel and her mother, Maria Elena Aparicio.
“I looked out the window and saw a man running towards the building. “He made signs to me to take shelter,” said Maria Elena, who paid attention when she heard the explosion of a missile.
![Iron Dome](https://www.eltiempo.com/files/article_content_new/uploads/2023/10/09/6523f53795d2e.jpeg)
Images of the Iron Dome in action.
Caregivers during the war
Viviana Ponce and María Angélica Herrera are two Colombians who live in Israel. Both migrated more than four years ago but they did not imagine that they would be in the middle of a war. They work caring for older adults, a vulnerable population, who often cannot reach shelters, especially the underground ones, because you have to go down many stairs at high speed.
Ponce lives near the border with Lebanon and says that there are currently about 500 people who have arrived seeking refuge. Herrera, for his part, lives in Ashdod, closer to Gaza, and reports that some missiles have landed nearby. “On Monday two missiles fell here in the city and for me it was more tenacious because I felt like four or five in a row. I said, this is where it was…” They do not plan to leave Israel for good job opportunities, but if the war worsens they will consider it.
(Keep reading: Colombia: the economic impact that the war between Israel and Hamas will have on the country)
![Israel](https://www.eltiempo.com/files/article_content_new/uploads/2023/10/14/652b1ab16c06a.jpeg)
Barrages of rockets launched against Israel from the Gaza Strip last Saturday.
‘This war is different’
“I have lived through other wars and this one is different,” says Sara Arciniegas, a Colombian who has been living in Israel for five years. According to him, after the attack perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist group, several of his friends were called to do military service, because they were part of the reserve, something that causes him a lot of anxiety, since it is not clear what their fate will be.
(In other news: ‘We are waiting for death’: Palestinian told of his situation from the Gaza Strip)
“On this occasion, apart from the more than 5,000 rockets that have been sent from Gaza in recent days, there have been terrorist infiltrations that evidently caught the Israeli defense a bit poorly,” adds Sara.
In addition, warns that Israeli authorities have asked civilians to be prepared for extreme situations. Among other things, he says they should organize survival supplies, which include a briefcase with items such as water, flashlights, portable batteries and groceries.
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL AND JUSTICE
TIME
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