Kibbutz families live in fear of tunnels
KIBBUTZ ALUMIM, IsraelGaza border — The seven children of Kibbutz Alumim, located just three kilometres from Israel’s border with Gaza, have a new game.
A parent explains. “You kidnap me, you give me back and then I’ll kidnap you — that’s how it goes,” says Esther, a mother of four, who moved to Israel from Britain 30 years ago.
Violence and kidnapping are the last things one might associate with such an idyllic-looking village, with its lush green grass, wind chimes hanging from trees and vibrant floral displays arranged neatly in decorative wheel carts around the gardens.
Yet by 4 p.m. on Sunday alone, at least 10 rocket alarms had sounded, each sending residents fleeing to bomb shelters.
To add to the terror from the skies a new threat has emerged, this time from beneath. The day before, militants from Gaza had entered Israel through tunnels and emerged in residential communities just a few kilometres away from this one.
According to the Israeli military, the purpose of the militants was not only to kill but also to kidnap, as was evidenced by the equipment they carried, which included, syringes, tranquillizers, plastic handcuffs and even Israeli uniforms.
“The main thing is that we can’t really leave our houses,” says Esther, describing her fear of militants from Gaza infiltrating the area near the community that has been declared a closed military zone by the Israel Defense Force.
“In the morning, the kids come here to the children’s house, and stay here the whole day. Look around you, we live on a farm, and we can’t take advantage of it. We have a swimming pool, but no one is in it. There are soldiers all around — on the one hand it is reassuring, but on the other, it’s freaky.” Another parent agreed. “We raise our children to be strong, with a strong desire for peace. But the tunnels are frightening.”