Harrowing moment Jerusalem's deputy mayor woken up by kids to air raid sirens during surprise Hamas attack

9 October 2023, 21:54

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem, speaks to LBC

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Jerusalem's deputy mayor has described the harrowing moment she was woken up by her kids to the sound of air raid sirens during Hamas' surprise attack on Israel.

Air raid sirens began sounding in Jerusalem at around 6.30am on Saturday, which was to warn citizens that an attack was in progress.

Around 2,200 rockets were fired toward southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel's Defence Force (IDF) has said.

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Jerusalem's deputy mayor, told LBC she was woken up to the sound of the air raid sirens by her kids.

"Sirens are rare", she told LBC. "So, Saturday morning, when we woke up to five consecutive sirens, we knew something very terrible had happened."

Describe the harrowing moment she was woken to the air raid sirens by her kids, Ms Hassan-Nahoum said: "Kids in this country grow up with an awareness of what to do in an emergency.

"My kids woke me to tell me 'mummy, there's a siren' - this is seven in the morning, Saturday morning - and we know we have a minute to get down there."

"People are in mourning, people are in shock, people are traumatised," Ms Hassan-Nahoum said.

Two more sirens went off in Jerusalem today, Ms Hassan-Nahoum added.

Read More: Israel and Palestine protesters pulled apart by police at London Underground station yards from Israeli embassy

Read More: Hamas promises to execute hostages in return for 'bombing without warning', as Israel says 'retaliation only starting'

At least 900 people have died in Israel since Saturday's attack, which includes the 260 concert-goers attending a music festival in the Middle Eastern country.

Meanwhile, almost 700 people have died in Gaza since Israel began retaliating.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will use "enormous force" against Hamas, as warned retaliation for Saturday's surprise attack on his county was only just beginning.

Asked what she thinks Israel should say to those who tell her country to be more proportionate in its response to attacks, Ms Hassan-Nahoum said: "Hamas are Isis, Hamas are Iran. Hamas throw LGBTQ people off rooftops...they kill their political opponents.

"That's what you're dealing with, you're not dealing with a normal government. You're dealing with people that want to bring the world back 500 years."