Footage shows pedestrians narrowly dodging falling rocket fragment in Tel Aviv
IDF guidelines tell public to stay in shelter for 10 minutes after sirens due to falling missile fragments; separately, classroom damaged after rocket debris crashes through roof
Footage taken by a surveillance camera in Tel Aviv on Tuesday highlighted the importance of following safety instructions issued by the IDF Home Front Command, when it captured the moment two people narrowly escaped being hit by a large fragment of an intercepted rocket during Tuesday’s barrage from Gaza.
In the video, two people could be seen walking down a street in Tel Aviv when a large piece of a rocket that had been intercepted minutes before crashed down next to them.
One of the pedestrians appeared to jump sideways into the other to avoid being hit as he realized what was about to happen.
The guidelines issued by the Home Front Command in case of a rocket or missile attack instruct those in the affected areas to remain in a protected space for 10 minutes after a red alert siren sounds, even if an interception blast is heard.
The reason for this is that shrapnel resulting from Iron Dome interceptions — pieces of both the rockets and the interceptor missiles — take a few minutes to fall to the ground after the projectiles are blown up in midair.
Elsewhere in Tel Aviv, a school sustained damage when a large piece of interceptor shrapnel crashed through the roof, leaving debris scattered across a classroom and electrical wires hanging out of the ceiling.
In total, the Ynet news site reported that some 15 rockets were fired from Gaza at Tel Aviv during the barrage.
And this is why the Home Front Command instructions say to remain in shelter for 10 minutes after sirens sound… an intercepted rocket crashes down in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/AFJoU9TuWt
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 5, 2023
The Home Front Command guidelines for Tel Aviv do not currently stipulate any special restrictions in light of the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
Following the outbreak of war on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists rampaged across southern Israel in a shock onslaught, killing more than 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages under the cover of thousands of rockets, schools across the majority of the country were closed and businesses and social gatherings restricted.
In the weeks that followed, schools in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa were permitted to reopen, but with restrictions in place according to the security situation.
In Tel Aviv, where residents have one and a half minutes to reach a protected area in the event of a rocket warning, schools were permitted to fully reopen on November 21, six weeks after the outbreak of war, provided that students can reach a shelter within the allotted time.
Earlier this week, the IDF said that it was investigating an incident in which an Iron Dome interceptor missile failed and crashed in central Israel during a rocket barrage. There were no reports of injuries as a result of the incident.
“The possibility that an interceptor [missile] fell in the country due to a technical malfunction is being examined,” the IDF said in response to a query on the matter on December 2.
