Read in
In the early days of Operation Protective Edge, representatives of the Finance Ministry approached the Center for Regional Councils and asked how much it would cost to evacuate approximately 3,000 people who live in near-Gaza communities, along the border with the Gaza Strip. These communities, mainly kibbutzim, are euphemistically called “mortar communities.” In less polite terms, they are cannon fodder for the campaign in Gaza.
Unlike towns and villages in the center of the country, which receive a 60- to 90-second warning before incoming rocket fire, these communities get just 15 seconds at best from the moment the siren goes off until a mortar shell lands. In the worst case, they barely get three seconds.
