Opening of Knesset Winter Session Interrupted by Rocket Sirens

Jerusalem, 16 October, 2023 (TPS) -- The opening of the Knesset’s winter session was interrupted by rocket sirens in Jerusalem on Monday. Lawmakers and Knesset staff were forced to go to bomb shelters.

The afternoon rocket barrages fired by Gaza terror groups reached the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas.

MK Merav Ben-Ari of the opposition Yesh Atid party was addressing the plenum when the sirens were first heard. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana was heard saying “Siren?”

Ben-Ari responded, “I think there’s a siren.”

Ohana then told the plenum, “Ok, everyone evacuate to the hallway.”

With a widely-expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip appearing to be imminent, speeches at the opening session stressed national unity and resolve, and paid tribute to the victims. More than 1,300 people were killed in the Hamas attacks and the death toll is expected to rise further.

“The brutal attack of our enemies was aimed at the Jewish people but did not distinguish between blood and blood. There is almost no home in Israel that the ripples of the painful tragedy we experienced did not reach it. Families and communities that were mortally beaten, and reflect a beautiful and grief-stricken Israeli mosaic,” said President Isaac Herzog.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to investigate how Hamas was able to catch Israel’s security off-guard with a devastating attack on Gaza-area communities. After calling for international solidarity to rally against Hamas, Netanyahu warned Hezbollah and Iran against opening another front.

“Don’t try us, you will be severely harmed,” he said.

A wartime unity government was sworn in shortly after the Hamas attacks.

Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal told the Tazpit Press Service on Sunday that the Knesset winter session would focus on supporting the government’s war effort and managing economic issues such as the cost of living.

“We’re all working together, coalition, opposition, zero politics, zero politics, zero egos, zero shtuyuot [nonsense],” Tal said.