A Johannesburg woman living in Israel was woken by sirens after a Palestinian militant group stormed into Israeli towns, leaving dozens dead and others abducted during a major Jewish holiday, on Saturday.
Israel responded with air strikes in Gaza. There are hundreds of fatalities from both sides and major airlines have diverted and cancelled most flights to Israel.
Darryl Egnal, who has been living in Ramat Gan, part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, for 14 years, said she thought she was dreaming when a siren went off just after 6am. Even though she has no relatives in Israel, Egnal said she has adopted family and good friends who live in the south, some in central Negev and others close to Gaza.
“I thought I was dreaming because we usually have warnings about missile attacks a day or so before they happen. In the centre, we have about 90 seconds to reach a safe place,” she said.
“Once I realised I wasn’t dreaming, I got up and went to the corridor of my building and waited out there with all my neighbours. You have to wait in a safe place for 10 minutes before leaving, assuming there are no more sirens.
“We had three in the space of two hours, which is far fewer than what they have down south, and they have 15 seconds to get to a shelter.”
Egnal said they started to hear the news and found out what was going on — everyone was horrified. This type of attack has never happened before on such a scale, she told TimesLIVE Premium.
She said she tried to connect with everyone but was struggling to get hold of some of her friends.
“I was devastated to hear of the magnitude of this attack and how unprepared we were for it. One friend who lives in the centre couldn’t get hold of his family on Kibbutz Be’eri because the kibbutz was one of those that had been taken hostage. I couldn’t get hold of friends who live in another kibbutz near the border. It was incredibly stressful and worrying.”
In the midst of it all, Egnal’s sister, who lives in Cape Town, was due to jet off on Sunday to Israel for a two-week visit. She said they had been talking about the trip for a while, and they were both very excited to be able to spend time together. However, Egnal said her sister was forced to cancel her trip.
“It would’ve been the first time we would be together in Israel since I’ve moved here. We are both very upset and disappointed about this. It is not the worst thing that happened at the weekend by any means, but it affected both of us.”
Egnal said it was quiet where she was during the day, but sirens started going off again at around 7.30pm. She said they had two within 20 minutes.
“It’s frightening to hear the exploding missiles so close to where you are.
“I am relatively safe where I am, even with the missile attacks in my area. However, I am hugely frightened for everyone I know — and don’t know — who lives near Gaza, but especially for the hostages. It is unimaginable what they are all going through at the moment and extremely upsetting.”
She added that on Sunday, no siren had been heard. Schools and universities in the south and centre have been closed.
Durban-born Max Katz, who lives in Beer Sheva, said: “I am safe, but there is this weird tenseness in the air. This whole situation is a complete change from the usual modus operandi of Gaza.
“Old folks, kids, women, men have been killed — and not to mention the reports of rape.”
The sense of anxiety was shared by American mom of seven Kathleen Duncan who described her experience as a tourist in Israel on her Facebook page, saying she had only arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday evening.
“We woke to ‘red alert’ sirens followed by rocket explosions which lasted throughout the day. Today we’d planned to join a 10-day tour of the Holy Land. Instead we are trying to find a way out of the country,” she said.
UN resolutions and international law matter. The international community cannot avoid its duty to act
— Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the department of international relations and cooperation
“There’s something in the air. Nothing is quite normal. Very few people are out. Most businesses and restaurants are closed. It is very quiet. Everyone is a bit on edge ... We see helicopter gunships patrol ling the coast in pairs. We know people are suffering and dying less than an hour’s drive away. We are all aware we may need to take shelter at any moment.”
Nigerian rapper Ruger, who is performing in Cape Town later this month, performed in Tel Aviv on Thursday and took to Instagram to assure his fans he had been lucky to have left the country before the hostilities.
“Israel is at war now and it’s very sad. It started as soon as my team and I took off from Tel Aviv to head back home. I really appreciate your concern. I’m safe. But please, we need peace in the world right now! We don’t want innocent people dying. We just want to live and love,” he said.
Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the department of international relations and cooperation, said the department had yet to be contacted by any South African citizens or tourists in Israel looking for assistance.
In a statement, the department called for the immediate cessation of violence, adding the region is in desperate need of a credible peace process that delivers on the calls of a plethora of previous UN resolutions for a two-state solution and a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine.
“South Africa, working together with the international community, seeks to ensure a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable, contiguous Palestinian State, existing side-by-side in peace with Israel within the 1967 internationally recognised borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” said Monyela.
“UN resolutions and international law matter. The international community cannot avoid its duty to act, and together, we must shoulder the responsibility to remove obstacles to peace and any violations of international law.
“Violence, killings, imprisonment, forced removals, illegal settlements, and the continued siege of Gaza are not conducive to resolving the conflict. Urgent attention must be given to resolving the final status issues such as borders, the status of Jerusalem, the release of political prisoners, and the right of return.”
Monyela said no real and lasting peace in Israel, Palestine and the region is possible in the absence of a just and comprehensive resolution of the conflict. He said Israelis, Palestinians and the region do not stand to gain anything from escalated tensions, increased violence, growing instability and a continued, protracted violent conflict.
South Africa stands ready to share its experience in mediation and conflict resolution, as it has done on the continent and around the world, added Monyela.
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