Israel: Lockdowns begin
Israel’s first lockdown over “security concerns” is underway as residents of the city of Sderot are ordered to lock themselves in their homes.
The city of Sderot, which borders the Gaza Strip, was invaded by Muslim forces Saturday. The invaders, said to be Hamas operatives, entered from Gaza without resistance despite Israel’s sophisticated technology and highly trained security forces. The Muslim operatives massacred over 700 Israelis in nearby communities — including Sderot — and took approximately 100 captives back into Gaza. They easily conquered Sderot’s police station, where it reportedly took Israeli forces six hours to arrive.
Sderot’s residents were ordered to barricade themselves in their homes and not open the door for anyone due to fears of Muslim infiltrators posing as Israeli police officers or soldiers. But according to Israeli media, the order remains in effect even as the threat of infiltration has been lifted.
Israel’s Kan News also reported Monday that Sderot residents have been disconnected from water and electricity since the invasion Saturday.
“We don’t have water or electricity. We have nothing,” said Sderot resident Amnon Twito. “They keep telling us ‘in another couple hours, in another couple hours, in another couple hours’. . .there is nothing.”
But Sderot residents are not the only ones subject to restrictions. Citizens in other areas — including Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem — have been instructed by Israel’s Home Front Command to limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and indoor gatherings to 50 people. Schools in those “orange” areas have been ordered closed, and taxpayers may only go to work if there is a bomb shelter closeby.
As during the COVID-19 pandemic, Israelis have reacted to the restrictions with enthusiasm, with some demanding even more measures.
Frontline News reported Sunday that the municipality of Be’er Yaakov, a town in central Israel, announced that at least two mobile surveillance cameras were being stationed at the town’s entrances and exits. Mayor Nissim Gozlan explained that with each camera carrying a visibility range of one kilometer (0.62 mile), authorities could see a kilometer in every direction near the town’s border.
Although Be’er Yaakov, which neighbors Tel Aviv, lies approximately 40 miles from the Gaza Strip and was not near the invaded areas, residents cheered the government’s decision.
“Well done!” several Israelis commented on the municipality’s post as they expressed their pride in Mayor Gozlan, whom they called their “champion.” One resident asked Gozlan to block the town’s entrances and vet each entrant. Another requested even more cameras.
