DISPATCH FROM ISRAEL
The Hamas rocket screams towards us: we’re caught in the open
Militants appear to be increasing daily rocket fire on Israeli areas in the south, George Grylls writes from near the Gaza border
The Times
In the cotton fields north of Gaza the obscene shriek of a rocket is followed by a boom. A burst of smoke directly overhead and a showering of shrapnel on the road signal that Israel’s Iron Dome defences have scored another hit.
The air raid siren sounds five seconds later, but by then it is too late. The Israeli soldiers are face down in the dusty kerb already, breathing heavily as the sky above is filled with the terrible sound of incoming fire. Like us, the Israeli soldiers are caught in the open.
The scream of another rocket comes overhead, this time seeming to arc towards us. The air defences intercept again. Iron Dome, the Israeli short-range air defence system, uses radar to measure whether
