Noah Efron, a resident of Tel Aviv, spent several hours overnight in a public bomb shelter with his family, as the city came under rocket fire.
Speaking to the BBC, he described sheltering with 80 other people—plus eight dogs and two cats. “We always take books, pillows, dog food, and a huge amount of pretzels,” he said.
Despite the explosions, the children managed to fall asleep. “The adults stayed awake, listening to the blasts,” Efron recounted. “We talked about how close the rocket was, whether it was a big one, and whether it might be the last.”
In the corners of the basement, people cracked jokes and exchanged political remarks.
“We support targeting nuclear sites in Iran,” Efron added, “because it would be a catastrophe if Iran could hit us with a nuclear bomb.”
“This has become our new normal,” he said. “And all of it happens while you’re half-asleep in the middle of the night, in a bomb shelter with 80 strangers, eating Cheetos.”
