Inside an Israeli bunker: ‘We can feel the vibrations of the bombs’

As missile sirens sounded, stressed and anxious people rushed to the nearest the bunker. Here’s a look inside an Israeli bunker and the new reality for people in Tel Aviv.

We could feel the vibrations.

I’m not sure if it was the bombs, or the missiles being intercepted. But the people I was with in the bomb shelter under a hotel in Tel Aviv said they had never actually felt the vibrations before.

Israelis have always lived with the threat of attacks from Iran, now they are here.

The panic started when everyone received text messages that a missile strike was imminent.

The messages said get to shelter now.

People ran.

Sophie Elsworth on the ground in Tel Aviv. Picture: Jordan Polevoy

Some were swimming in the ocean and were told on loud speakers to clear the water.

There were sirens too.

We all rushed into the bunker. It’s just a room. There’s no toilets, no water. Everyone looked visibly stressed and anxious. They were glued to the phones waiting for updates.

This is the new reality in Tel Aviv following the Israeli and US strikes on Iran.

Some of the people inside the bunker with me were just in their bathers. Some were in hotel robes. There was no time to change.

The tiled floor was wet from the feet of people who had just come from the water. Many people were sitting on flimsy plastic chairs, the kind you would get on special from Bunnings, or maybe in a school hall.

The warning came through at about 7.30am our time. Most people were just having breakfast.

One woman was heard saying inside the bunker, “I have no idea what is going on outside there. It’s very loud”.

The fear here in Tel Aviv is heightened. No-one really knows what will happen next.

Originally published as Inside an Israeli bunker: ‘We can feel the vibrations of the bombs’