Ben Avital, a resident of Eilat who was injured by shrapnel from an interception in the city, recounted the dramatic moments he experienced while walking with his two dogs when an air raid siren went off.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Yoseftal Medical Center, Avital told Kan Reshet Bet, "I heard the early warning and started walking toward the house, but I didn’t make it to the safe room in time."
"The siren caught us on the way, so I hid in a private parking lot between thick walls. It just fell directly on me. I heard the whistle, then the boom of a lifetime. I don’t know how I survived it, honestly."
After the explosion, he said, "They showed me a picture now, and it's 'Allah Yastur' (G-d have mercy). You can see a crater right where I was hiding with the dogs. It fell half a meter from us." As a result of the impact, Avital suffered a broken foot and deep cuts on his forehead that required stitches.
Avital also expressed to Kan Reshet Bet his deep concern for his two dogs, who were with him at the time of the explosion: "I managed to get one out of the rubble right after the blast. I couldn’t find the other because I collapsed, but they found him later, unconscious. Both are now at the vet, and I hope they make it through."
Despite the injury and trauma, Avital wished to send a message to the public: "Everyone must go to shelter. It saves lives."
Avital is currently hospitalized for further treatment and CT scans.