After the new phase of war between Israel and Iran began on February 28, people across the country again found themselves living between sirens, shelters, and attempts to preserve some sense of routine. Following the 12-day war in June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared a “historic victory,” yet Western media soon began warning that another round of fighting was possible. In late February, US President Donald Trump said the world had ten days to see whether Iran would agree to a deal.
The hardest period came on the first day of the operation: on February 28, after the first Israeli and US strikes on Iranian territory, many Israelis spent almost the entire day in shelters. On March 1, a missile strike in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, killed nine people. On March 9, six rocket impact sites were recorded near Tel Aviv: one person at a construction site was killed, and two other men were seriously wounded.
According to estimates by Mako, residents of Tel Aviv and nearby cities spent a combined 5 hours and 30 minutes in shelters over the course of a week. Sirens sounded in the city 33 times, mostly at night. In Haifa, there were 22 sirens over the same period. Many people are still going to work, but schools across the country remain closed; on March 9, the Education Ministry was due to discuss reopening classes in the calmest areas.
At the same time, parts of ordinary life have resumed. From March 1, many cafes in Tel Aviv reopened, though on reduced hours. This year, the holiday of Purim was celebrated in bomb shelters and underground parking lots, and some families even held weddings there.
Airspace remains closed. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been stranded abroad, while more than 33,000 foreign tourists remain inside the country. On the morning of March 9, about 330 Israelis who had been stuck in the UAE since the start of the war arrived at Ben Gurion Airport. People interviewed by Novaya Gazeta Europe said the war reduces daily needs to the most basic ones: water, sleep, food, and the chance to wait out the next alert in a safe place.