Israelis flock to beaches, cafes after Iran drone attack: ‘It’s normal life for them’
Nonplussed Israelis sunbathed and enjoyed outdoor cafes Sunday, hours after Iran’s air assault.
About 99% of Iran’s drones and missiles were intercepted in the air by Israel with the help of US, Jordan, France and UK forces, leaving little structural damage — although they badly wounded an Arab child when the remnants of a shot-down ballistic missile fell on her family’s home near Arad, officials said.
The strikes — which were retaliation for Israel’s killing of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fighters and leaders in Syria on April 1 — appeared to have left at least some Israelis relatively unphased, judging from photos published Sunday of people sunbathing in Tel Aviv and enjoying outdoor cafes.
“My husband went for for walk at 8.30, the cafés were open, the beach was open, Debbie Fenton told The Jewish Chronicle from Herzliya. “Everything was back to normal. Israelis are used to it. They’re used to being attacked; it’s normal life for them.”
Jerusalem resident Ayala Salant told Agence France-Presse that the “situation is really frightening” but added, “We are very, very happy with the alliance that helped us because most of the aircraft and missiles have not arrived to Israel.”
Lord David Wolfson shared on social media that his British parents had “no disruption at all” while staying in Jerusalem.
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“Apparently there was a siren at 1 a.m., but we both slept through it. With double glazed windows, metal exterior blinds and fabric interior blinds, siren didn’t wake us up,” a message from his mother read.
“All quiet at the moment. Dad has been to the fruit shop. He has a lunchtime appointment at Maccabi to remove wax from his ears. Will get cabs both ways,” she added.
Shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange slipped less than 1% — a “slightly negative but not hysterical” reaction to the anticipated attack, IBI investment house chief economist Rafi Gozlan told the Times of Israel.
Still, many schools in Israel were slated to be closed Monday because of the active security threat, according to the outlet. Some ultra-Orthodox schools opened in defiance of the closures.
Parents of special-needs children attending the closed schools voiced their frustration, as they said they were expected to work despite the school closures.
“It’s so frustrating,” said Yulia Ben Moshe, 54, whose 16-year-old son is wheelchair-bound and dependent on a breathing apparatus, referring to the school closures that left her scrambling to find care.
“We are in a hard situation, but the system needs to plan for this. Every time something happens, families need to deal with it alone,” she said, adding, “This is a continuing problem during emergencies.”
Life was much slower to return to normal in Israel in the days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,200 dead.
A little more than six months later, Israel has reportedly killed more than 33,000 Palestinians and left millions more in a humanitarian crisis in its response.
With Post wires
