“The Hours After the Attack in Tel Aviv”

  • Two Palestinian men opened fire and wounded at least five people in a market in the center of Tel Aviv. This is how Jerusalem lives a few hours after the attack

JERUSALEM, Israel – Just last Sunday a group of Mexican and Argentinean journalists were visiting the offices of Sixgill, a cyber intelligence company, with offices only a few blocks from the Sarona Market were the terrorist attack took place Wednesday night in Tel Aviv.

After the attack, the city of Jerusalem, capital of Israel, there is a somber calm in contrast to that of the previous days. Sunday was a holiday. Israelis went out to celebrate the Day of Jerusalem. Today, the plans to go out and relax have been delayed, others cancelled.

Since last october, the attacks between Israelis and Palestinians have left over 200 dead. Less than the total number of registered homicides in Mexico las year; 15 thousand according to the figures provided by the INEGUI ( National Institute of Statistics and Geography).

“It is a calm time for now, but July and August will come and that is the heavy season. We are going back in time, like it was 100 years ago, when the Versailles Treaty was signed” commented Monday Natan Gal, a brazilian that has been living for 35 years in Sderot, a town located 200 meters from the Gaza strip.

The Palestinians don’t have helicopters, but they do make tunnels, “we could be standing above one right now” says Gal, while he points down to the floor.

By air, sea and land

By air, sea and land, the Israeli army watches the border. It was this Tuesday when the same group of journalists spoke to Kobi Harush, Security Coordinator for Sderot. He talked about the procedure to avoid at all cost, terrorists entering. There are hundreds of eyes and the most advanced technology monitoring any movement.

Because of humanitarian reasons, they seek to help people looking to enter into Israel, but they can’t always be so trusting, comments Kobi, who shares a story about an elderly woman in a wheelchair who exploded in front of three IDF soldiers.

“Not everyone in Gaza is a terrorist, I see them as prisoners of Hamas. I have many friends in Gaza, I have been there many times, they have come over here to visit, before we didn’t have checkpoints, this all started in the 90’s, when terrorism arrive. When this all ends, I’ll invite them to eat the best Hummus in the world”, says Kobi.

After hearing the news of the attack, the Mexican and Argentinean journalists have dinner with their cell phones in hand, making calls, sending articles, whatsapp messages and notes; and our colleagues from Fuente Latina in Israel coordinate to find interviews with witnesses and key sources.

It is 4:47AM in the morning of Thursday in Israel already, another sunrise awaits the Middle East, the birds are already singing.

El Financiero

by Dainuzú Patiño

Link: http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/mundo/las-horas-despues-del-ataque-en-tel-aviv.html