It began very early in the morning on Shabbat before all the people of Israel realized that they were shooting at us again. A short message from the emergency teams about certain areas and roads in the area being blocked by the IDF.

Predictably, at about 9:30 AM, massive rocket fire began from the Gaza Strip, which continued late into the night and early into Sunday morning.

The municipality operates an emergency room in the area, in cooperation with emergency centres and emergency teams in the Gaza vicinity communities. Representatives of the Home Front Command and the municipality rolled out in the neighbourhoods to deliver information and instructions, to collect needs and to help treat any wounded.

The guidelines of the Southern Command regarding the defense of the population are constantly being updated. For now, all of us are forced to stay no further than 10 seconds away from a protected space and we are forbidden to hold any gatherings, in either open or private spaces.

There will be no studies or schools open within 40 kilometres of the Gaza border.

The IDF bombardments and the helicopters and airplanes hovering over and over in an attempt to respond in real-time are loud and are adding to the anxiety of the citizens of Sderot. The mental burden is increasing.

For 18 years the War of Attrition has continued, and in the words of our elders - nothing is new under the sun. I understand that the solution is not simple. We in the south in general and in Sderot in particular will continue to live in a place we love so much, we will improve our safety capabilities and most importantly we will continue to invest in people. We will aspire to a better life, we will acquire better tools to deal with the difficulties.

With your help and because of your commitment and generosity, we will raise successful children, and appreciate the simple little things in life. We will cope and we will not sink into depression, because if we smile, joy will come at the end.

I wish everyone a peaceful and quiet week

Eddy Azran​,
UJA's representative in Sderot