Shockwaves from IDF strikes shatter homes, rattle nerves in Gaza border towns

Residents in Sderot and Netiv HaAsara report mounting damage from Israeli strikes in Gaza, with shattered windows, wall cracks and unlivable stress; forum of affected towns warns of escalating destruction as state compensation remains slow and limited

Roni Green Shaulov|

Yesterday | Ynetnews

As has often been the case since the war began on October 7, 2023, residents of Israeli communities near the Gaza border were jolted awake overnight Saturday by intense IDF strikes—but this time, the damage was more severe than usual.

Residents of Sderot, Netiv HaAsara, and other towns near northern Gaza reported shattered glass doors, broken windows, and deepening cracks in their walls after a series of thunderous explosions.

Yitzhak Agami, a resident of Sderot, described an exceptionally rough night. “The first blast cracked the glass door. Then, around 3 a.m., there was another massive explosion that shattered it completely,” he said. “I hadn’t even touched it—the shattering was solely from the shockwave.”
Agami, who recently returned from two months of reserve duty on the northern border, said it’s been hard to readjust to daily explosions. “At first, I was in shock. We’ve been living with booms for two years, but nothing like this. All morning I’ve been dealing with it—contacting the Property Tax Authority, looking for a repairman, gathering receipts. I have little kids at home and there’s glass everywhere,” he added. “Still, I’m glad we’re winning. If I lose another glass door, so be it. But living like this for two years isn’t easy. We can feel cracks forming in the house.”

 
A damaged house following IDF strikes in Gaza

Another resident from the same neighborhood said she discovered her balcony window had shattered overnight. In a video she posted, glass crunching underfoot, she said, “This is what’s left after the IDF blast. I’m shaking.”

Similar reports came from Netiv HaAsara, a community right on the Gaza fence: broken windows, panels detaching from walls, and cracks that grow wider with each passing day. “The real problem is the hidden damage,” one resident said. “A broken window is easy to show the tax authority, but the internal wall damage worsens daily. Sometimes they tell us it’s not from the blast. This isn’t a livable reality—the constant noise from the fighting, and the structural damage that comes with it.”


Wall tiles

Vered, also from Netiv HaAsara, described the night as “brutal, with deafening explosions. Of course, you can’t sleep—your body goes into stress, full-body tremors. I don’t understand who thinks it’s okay to send kids back to live here in this situation. It’s terrifying and unbearable,” she said. “The living room window is damaged again—this is the third time. We haven’t even been reimbursed for the last claim.”

Footage from IDF strikes in Gaza

The Homeward forum, which represents 12 communities hit hard in the Gaza envelope region, issued a statement saying that since the war began, residents have faced extensive damage to homes and infrastructure due to nonstop IDF operations in Gaza. “These include underground infrastructure damage, burst pipes, wall cracks, collapsed ceilings and pergolas, and more. At this stage, the full extent of the damage is still unclear.”

Following pressure from the forum, the Knesset Finance Committee held a special session in May. Residents warned that the damage would likely intensify as fighting escalates. Many said that officials from the Property Tax Authority often don’t come to assess damage, and even when they do, they claim the destruction wasn’t caused by the shockwave, and deny compensation. Committee chair MK Moshe Gafni demanded that clear compensation criteria be published, but the guidelines have yet to be released, and residents are still struggling to get recognition or reimbursement from the state.




Forum chair Ziv Matzliach said, “The renewed fighting has again brought severe shockwave damage to border communities and infrastructure, and it’s only getting worse. Unfortunately, the State of Israel still doesn’t grasp the full economic toll this takes on residents. They hear the military operations 24/7 and see the damage accumulate. Every day we encounter more destruction. There must be a fast-track system for recognizing and compensating for shockwave-related damage. In the meantime, it’s the residents who are footing the bill.”