Shderot

City of Sderot or Shderot was established in 1951 as a transit camp for immigrants from Kurdistan and Iran. Later, the city absorbed immigrants from Romania, Morocco, Russia, and Ethiopia. In 2001, the first rocket fell on the city, and since then it has endured about 10,000 rockets. In the first five years, rockets fell only on Sderot, and there was no defense mechanism. Even the defense system now provides only a 15-second warning, and according to residents' testimony, it is actually 8 seconds. About 7,000 homes have been fortified, and all five schools are fully fortified.

Visiting Sderot you can see a shelter in every corner, near a bus station, in a shopping area, in a school and in a playground. Even in the playground there is a shelter, but it looks like it is part of the game.

We started the visit in where was the Police building, while we heard the police story, we saw the giant graphite which tell the resilience of the people of Sderot.

On October 7, Hamas militants attacked the city in at least two pickup trucks. In the battles in Sderot, 80 civilians and police officers were killed, and 35 terrorists were killed.

Battle at the Police Station: It is estimated that a force of 20 Hamas terrorists attacked the station. Their ultimate goal was to reach the roof and raise the Hamas flag (they did not succeed). They broke into the building using an RPG, and the battle that developed inside is unclear. Reinforcement forces arriving were shot at, realizing there was a sniper on the roof. A special forces unit arrived. One of them went up to the top floor of a building opposite and took down the sniper. They then broke in but were exposed to gunfire and explosives and decided to retreat with the wounded. It was likely then that Alexei Shmalakov, who was leading the fight, was killed. Meanwhile, a drone identified wounded officers on the roof, but no terrorists. They decided to bring in a fire department crane to rescue them and managed to evacuate four wounded officers. It is likely that the bodies of officers were also retrieved, and then they decided to collapse the building with Rockets, a tank, and later a bulldozer destroyed  the building. When the terrorists understood the intention, they tried to escape and were shot. After control was achieved, it was decided to demolish the rest of the building and erect a new one. The battle lasted 20 hours.

In the battle at the police station, a total of 35 people were killed, including 9 Yamam fighters and seven police officers. It is likely that all the terrorists were killed.

From the police center we went to Sderot visitor center. In the entrance there is exhibit of mortar shell. The center tells the story of the town and there is a movie about the 7th of October.

Later we stopped  in a coffee shop and the excellent  Bakery owned by Or Shukron from kibbutz Erez next to police station. Or told us her  story, (she is an x army officer).

We then visited Habad house and with Rabbi Asher told us about the miracle his community had and how he turned his school and synagogue to logistical center to provide the people who stayed in Sderot , food , medicine and any service people in a war zone need. Thousands of volunteers provided the supplies to the civilians and the army (one of them is Dror). Rabbi Asher also told us about his experience in the 7th of October. Next to Habad house there is a sheltered playground where the recreational equipment is a shelter. There is no words to explain with what children who live near Gaza Envelop  has to cope.

Living on the frontlines of conflict. Through their strength and determination, the residents of the Gaza Envelope continue to hope for a future of peace and security.

Our next visit is to Tkuma.