Pop music played at a Tel Aviv school on Wednesday as children returned for their first day back after 12 days of Iranian airstrikes had forced them to remain in safe rooms and bomb shelters alongside their worried parents.
The scene of children carrying or pulling their colorful backpacks into school symbolized the return to normalcy in Israel, following days and nights spent sheltering indoors out of fear of Iranian missile attacks.
Avi Behagen looked overjoyed after dropping off his 9-year-old twin son and daughter.
“In one word? Thank you, God!” he exclaimed, raising his eyes and hands to the sky.
“It’s wonderful having the kids back in school. It’s good for us parents, and for the children too. Even if they won’t admit it, they miss school. And since I have twins, it’s double the happiness.”
During the confrontation with Iran, families with home safe rooms stayed inside most of the time, while those relying on public shelters rushed to them with every alarm, disrupting sleep at night and routines during the day.
