The tour guide leading the group of journalists I’m with in Tel Aviv made kiddish.
Then the alerts went off.
Thankfully, these first messages from the Home Front Command app on our phones were telling us to stay near a “protected space” – a bomb shelter – and we could return to our table. For now. Israel was bracing itself for the Iranian response to its daring, devastatingly effective raid on its enemy’s nuclear capabilities the night before.
It wasn’t that long until the sirens sounded, as Iran launched its ballistic barrage towards Israel. We all dutifully headed down to the area that serves as the hotel’s bomb shelter, with one guest vowing retribution if Iranian strikes ruined the delicious Shabbat evening buffet we’d all got so close to enjoying.
Charlotte Henry. Pic: Twitter
The mood down in the bowels of the building was generally upbeat. As the night went on, some of the guests even brought dessert and bottles of wine with them, so determined were they to carry on with their Friday night dinner. Little kids ran around, keeping themselves entertained.
I had been here to report on Pride for Jewish News – Tel Aviv puts on one of the biggest celebrations of LGBT life anywhere in the world. All of that has been cancelled, but standing in the sweltering heat of the shelter I felt an immense sense of pride at the resilience of Israel and the Jewish people. We were all there in our Shabbat finest, determined to carry on.
There were loud bangs overheard and news filtered through of the extent of the attack Israel was facing. Later the full extent of the damage done to Tel Aviv and Israel more widely, including the loss of civilian life, became clear.
A couple of hours later, when things seemed quiet, I returned to my room, confident I could make it down the 16 flights of stairs in sufficient time if required to do so later in the night. Taking a moment on the balcony to look out into a ghostly quiet Tel Aviv, I heard singing. Four men in a balcony opposite were ending their meal with songs. It wasn’t long until the sirens sounded again.
With all the back and forth, some decided to set up camp in the hotel lobby, making it easier to get to the safe space. It underlines the stoic acceptance with which Israelis are tackling the latest development.
This morning, the normally packed beaches of Tel Aviv were almost empty as people were instructed to stay near shelters. This government rule was withdrawn as the day went on and people immediately headed back to the seafront, playing beach tennis and sunbathing as they would any other Saturday.
Once again this determined city, this determined nation, will fight another day. We don’t know what the next night will bring.
