By Marney Blom and Alicia DesMarteau
First the warning, then the rapid evacuation to the nearest bomb shelter, then the slow process of picking up the pieces and rebuilding after yet another hit by an incoming Hamas Grad rocket.
Shockingly, for many living in Israeli communities surrounding Gaza, this is becoming a way of life.
Local resident Dr. Smadar Noy said he had been worried about the recent rocket fire since Saturday morning.
As the latest rocket rained down on the coastal town of Ashkelon, thankfully there were once again no injuries.
Most media coverage in the region focuses on suffering and destruction, but relatively little attention has given to the not insignificant number of “near misses” – stories of miracles that take place when enemy fire fails to hit its mark.
For example, despite the daily barrage of Katyusha rockets shot from Southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006 during the Second Lebanon War, the number of casualties and injuries in Israel was considered disproportionately low.
Qiryat Bialik was no exception. The town, situated 12kms north of Haifa, was hit by as many as 13 Katyushas, with not a single life lost.
Qiryat Bialik Mayor Dr. Rafael Wertheim pointed out where a rocket hit and destroyed cars as he surveyed the scene of a rocket attack. “The apartments here, around where all the glasses were broken down, some of the entrance doors, some of the equipment here were destroyed. Everything was down. But the people – nobody was hurt here. One person was slightly hit by a piece of glass; that’s all.”
Qiryat Shmona, one of Israel’s northernmost towns, was by far the hardest hit during the Second Lebanon War. Situated only 4km from the Lebanese border, its population of 22,000 was an easy target for Hezbollah’s rockets.
Qiryat Shmona resident Tammy Peretz said there were more than one thousand Katyushas in the area, but no casualties. “There were three people that were injured.”
Direct hits by more than 1000 Katyusha rockets and not a single loss of life could be called nothing short of a miracle.
Yonatan Freedman, director of the Jewish Agency’s Tzahal 9 Absorption Center situated in the picturesque hills of northern Israel, witnessed first-hand what he believed to be “divine intervention” when a Katyusha blasted through his office. At that precise moment his work space, normally buzzing with activity, was devoid of a single worker.
“To tell you more miracles and things like that,” Freedman said, “two of my workers walked out of this office a minute before the Katyusha hit. Nobody got hit.”
Every single Ethiopian immigrant residing at Tzahal 9 Absorption Centre, adults and children alike, were spared.
All told, in 34 days of war about 4000 rockets were fired into Israel. Every life lost was a serious tragedy. However, the extent of injuries and casualties – 43 civilian deaths in all – was low considering the intensity of the assault.
Why were so many of the attacks unsuccessful?
Rick Ridings, director of 24/7 Jerusalem-based house of prayer Succat Hallel, said he believed that many attacks were unsuccessful because of prayer.
“We feel here in Israel, it’s almost like we sense when people throughout the world really kick in and start really praying for Israel.
“At a certain point there seemed to be a shifting away from the fear that had begun to grip the people; fears that this was going to escalate into a very destructive war. There were a lot of fears at that point that Syria was going to join in with chemical warfare. And it could very well have happened.
“I think it’s very important for us to realize the power of our prayers.”
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