Israelis gather on hillsides to watch and cheer as military drops bombs on Gaza | World news | The Guardian
Israeli gatherings to watch and celebrate Gaza slaughter evolve to include couches and beer
As the sun begins to sink over the Mediterranean, groups of Israelis gather each evening on hilltops close to the Gaza border to cheer, whoop and whistle as bombs rain down on people in a hellish warzone a few miles away.
Old
sofas, garden chairs, battered car seats and upturned crates provide
seating for the spectators. On one hilltop, a swing has been attached to
the branches of a pine tree, allowing its occupant to sway gently in
the breeze. Some bring bottles of beer or soft drinks and snacks.
On
Saturday, a group of men huddle around a shisha pipe. Nearly all hold
up smartphones to record the explosions or to pose grinning, perhaps
with thumbs up, for selfies against a backdrop of black smoke.
Despite reports that millions of Israelis are living in terror of Hamas
rockets, they don't deter these hilltop war watchers whose proximity to
Gaza puts them within range of the most rudimentary missiles. Some
bring their children.
In the border town of Sderot, which has been
struck by countless missiles from the Gaza Strip in recent years, one
family gathers on a top-floor balcony, draped with an Israeli flag and
banner of the army's legendary Golani Brigade. A house with a war view
may even command a premium price these days.
Israelis sit on a hill
to watch air strikes on Gaza, some bring drinks and snacks as they
cheer the explosions a few miles away. Photograph: UPI/Landov/Barcroft
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