Tel Aviv strikes show Israelis a glimpse of Gaza's daily reality

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
15 Jun 2025 21:59
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An Iranian missile strike on a Tel Aviv high-rise displaced hundreds of Israelis, marking a rare moment where those long shielded by military dominance briefly tasted the devastation their state routinely inflicts across Gaza and the region.

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An Israeli soldier navigates the rubble of a residential building that was hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli website Ynet reported on Sunday that hundreds of settlers from a high-rise building in central Tel Aviv were forced to evacuate after an Iranian missile struck the tower directly, tearing through multiple floors and leaving parts of the structure in ruins. Among the injured were three foreign diplomats, and dozens of apartments were destroyed.

The missile strike, part of Iran's ongoing Operation True Promise 3, follows months of escalating Israeli aggression across the region, including Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. With Tel Aviv's skyline now scarred and its residents suddenly displaced, many observers have pointed out the grim irony: for the first time in decades, Israeli settlers in major cities are getting a glimpse, albeit a fraction, of the terror and trauma Palestinians endure on a daily basis.

"We left the safe room and saw mostly smoke. Our apartment is gone. We went down to the basement, now we're refugees," said Oded, one of the building's residents. His settler family were among many who spent the night in temporary shelters or hotels provided by the municipality.

Sisters Hila and Naama, who lived in the same building, described the chaos, "We heard a massive boom and smelled chemicals. It was pitch black, and we thought the building was collapsing." One woman arrived in the underground parking garage completely soaked from sprinklers after reporting that an entire floor had caved in.

Selective suffering

These scenes, of children crying, families clutching pets, and entire households reduced to debris, are all too familiar to Palestinians in Gaza, Jenin, and Nablus. Yet in "Israel," this is treated as an unprecedented tragedy. The displacement of a few hundred residents in Tel Aviv, temporarily, with clean shelters, emergency response teams, and hotel breakfasts, is a luxury compared to the annihilation of entire neighborhoods in Gaza, where families live without electricity, food, or international protection.

Col. (res.) Miki of the Israeli Internal Front Command confirmed that the missile strike was severe, "We estimate the warhead weighed several hundred kilograms and caused extensive damage between the 9th and 11th floors." He said dozens were trapped in safe rooms and rescued after coordinated efforts with Israeli police, fire services, and local authorities.

The Israeli security establishment has long operated under the assumption that its power, supported by billions in US military aid, shields it from retaliation. But the events of recent days have shattered that illusion. As missiles fall on Tel Aviv, Israeli settlers are beginning to face the consequences of decades of regional domination and unchecked violence.

Commenting on the attack, Oded reflected, "The state has decided to commit suicide, and there's not much we can do about it. What happened here was inevitable. The assumption that we're always smarter and the enemy is stupid has never held up."