Tel Aviv on Friday would usually be a bustling city, with people crowding the beaches, and enjoying food at the plethora of restaurants that line boulevards such as Bograshov and Dizengoff. However these days it feels quiet and empty. Many shops and restaurants are closed. I drove to Tel Aviv on Friday to attend the joint press conference by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. The drive from Jerusalem was along the usually busy Route 1, which snakes down from Jerusalem through forested hills into the coastal plains of Israel.
Unprecedented quiet in Israel
The drive to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem served as a prelude to what Tel Aviv would be like. With the roads to the city mostly empty of cars, it was clear that there wouldn’t be many people around. At DIzengoff Center, the shopping mall was also mostly deserted. This was not just preparation for closing for Shabbat, it was also a more general theme. Some stores that were open lacked a full staff. A week into the war Israel has been plunged into an unprecedented quiet. With kids off school, most families are staying home. Many playgrounds are empty. In all conflicts there is an initial shock with people glued to their televisions. However, the size of the massacre on October 7 has brought unprecedented trauma. This is clear in Israel’s largest cities.
