Today was supposed to be the day we sent our kids back to nursery. For two weeks, my toddler and baby have been home with a nasty stomach bug that turned out to be shigella, a bacterium that causes dysentery and that has been ripping through Israeli troops in Gaza. Then, on Saturday night, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF, announced that schools and nurseries would be closed nationwide today, due to the Iranian threat.
The parents’ WhatsApp groups grumbled that this, alone, was a disproportionate response by Iran, throwing Israel into turmoil the week before Passover. But then the news reports became starker: we should expect a drone and rocket attack within hours.
Israel and Iran have been fighting a shadow war for decades
At around 10.30 p.m., we were told that the drones had been launched and were on their way. It was an odd experience. Israelis have become used to the rhythm of rocket attacks, where we have just seconds to run to our bomb shelters.
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