Today was marked by the rising toll of the dead (1,300) and the hostages (150-200). There are 800 dead that still need to be identified before they can be buried, a gruesome and harrowing ordeal as the bodies have been mutilated beyond recognition. Children are still at home, with remote learning starting only next week. The academic year has been postponed to the beginning of November. There were several rocket barrages aimed at the Ben Gurion airport and now more or less only El Al and Arkia, the Israeli flight carriers, are flying in. That also means that imports and purchases from abroad are significantly delayed. No Prime Day here.

The northern border is heating up, with several run ins with the Hizballah from Lebanon sending thousands of people up north into shelters for hours at a time. In the West Bank there were several terrorist attack attempts, and violent protests.

I went to get my Moderna Covid shot (as a cancer patient I need to keep up to date on all my shots) today, and one of the busiest thoroughfares in Tel Aviv was eerily deserted. Only in Yom Kippur, when there aren’t any cars around, have I seen it like this, and even then there are bikes and pedestrians.

Many bus drivers were drafted, and so the buses are running less frequently, and in some cases complete routes were cancelled. The result is that the normally packed bus lane is now completely free. Shops and restaurants are still largely closed. It’s scary to walk around, and I did the round trip to the clinic as fast as I possibly could, hoping that I won’t be caught outside when there was a rocket barrage.

Thankfully I wasn’t. Normally when there’s a chance of rocket fire, buildings leave their door open so pedestrians can take shelter inside if needed. But now there’s a chance that terrorists are roaming the streets, and people are hyper vigilant and suspicious. Doors are not only locked, they aren’t opened even during a rocket barrage. If you’re outside, you just lay down on the ground and cover your head, hoping for the best. Two friends were severely wounded today in Sderot in the south, as they were caught outside in their car and didn’t have time to get to shelter when rockets fell.

Today’s Inktober is lilies, which are in bloom along the coastline right now.

Here’s hoping for better days.