Just after 3 o’clock, the children start running towards the Arab-Jewish community centre. The activities are about to begin – though this is not the reason for their haste. Moments before, sirens wailed across Tel Aviv and Jaffa, warning of another rocket attack. Some cry out in fear as the metal shutters of the centre rattle down.
Ten minutes later, after two loud booms signal that the rockets launched from Gaza have been destroyed in the air, the children file out of the malodorous basement of the centre and head for gym class, music lessons and a crafts session organised by an NGO that is trying to improve relations between Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations.
