I have a friend from the company where I used to work who was born in Israel and has family there. He posts reels on Facebook almost daily of the horrors captured by bodycam footage from the terrorists. I can't imagine what these images must do to people like you and your family who are right there where they were filmed.

I was a child in elementary school during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I vividly remember the duck under your desk drills and the bomb shelter drills, along with the feeling that this could happen for real at any second. We were 35 miles from NYC, so definitely within the blast radius. Yeah, kids are resilient, but it's still damned stressful. Prayers for you and your family not only to survive, but to deal successfully with the PTSD.

One last thought. From what I've read, the evacuation southward has a strategic component beyond the optics value, which is part of the reason why Hamas is opposed to it. With the area evacuated, Israel can destroy the tunnels. But I absolutely understand how the world focus on the optics must feel to a nation that saw children beheaded and burned, but expects the victims to still play nice.

It sucks.