The Sounds of War, by Rachel Saperstein
Excerpts;
We sit in our plasterboard caravilla in Nitzan, the largest of the refugee camps for those expelled from Gush Katif. Nitzan lies between the coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. Last week, Ashkelon was hit by two Kassam rockets launched from the former communities of northern Gush Katif. One landed in a schoolyard, the other in an open space. Ashkelon is in turmoil. The southern city of Sderot has been bombed repeatedly. The kibbutzes and moshavs bordering Gaza are hit incessantly.
Having tunneled under the much-touted protective walls, Gazan terrorists killed two IDF soldiers and kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit. The government, pressured by public protest over the kidnapping and the bombings, finally allowed the IDF to react.
We hear the bombing runs of our jets, the whirring of helicopters over our caravillas. The thumping sound of artillery and tank fire is constant. Our windows rattle from the echo of Kassam fire from the other side.
We lived with these sounds for five years when we were the victims of endless mortar and rocket fire. Now, the rockets are larger, have greater range and are more deadly. We pleaded with the government to act to end these attacks…. We warned the country that if the IDF left Gaza, the attacks would become more deadly. We were evicted; and the enemy’s appetite increased.
Today, our homes are made from plasterboard and will not stand up to any attack when the Arabs start to use the longer-range rockets they are known to be stockpiling. Our flimsy caravillas will simply disintegrate.
Yes, we, the people of Gush Katif, were pulled out to placate a cruel enemy, but the deadly attempts to destroy Israel continue. I am constantly amazed at the naivete, or wishful thinking, of our leaders. Or is it their simple disregard for the safety of Israel’s citizens?
Meanwhile, the sounds of war are outside our home.