Kiryat Bialik is a quiet and pretty city that makes up one of the five cities north of Haifa, collectively known as the Krayot. Driving through the area on route 4, which connects Haifa with cities to the north, such as Acre and Nahariya, these connected cities seem on the surface to be one long suburb north of Haifa. They are laid out along the long arc of Haifa Bay, which stretches for five kilometers from Haifa to Acra.

These cities—Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Ata, Kiryat Haim, Kiryat Motzkin, and Kiryat Shmue—were founded and initially developed in the 1930s and 1940s. They grew rapidly after the creation of Israel and now have almost 200,000 residents. These neighborhoods, a mix of low-rise homes and apartments built for olim over the last six decades, are now in the crosshairs of Hezbollah.

On Sunday morning, September 22, a rocket struck Kiryat Bialik, wounding several people, burning cars, and damaging buildings. In the afternoon of September 22, the damage was visible; scars from flames had created dark patterns on the windows and street. There were also shrapnel marks scattered in the stucco, like a giant had tossed rocks around the street, intermittently hitting buildings in the neighborhood. A large Israeli flag draped over one of the damaged homes; a large flag with the symbol of Kiryat Bialik was next to it. This picture was a symbol of the solidarity here, the sense that the wounds and scars would be covered over quickly and people would feel support from the state.

The Israeli flag and the flag of Kiryat Bialik drape side-by-side over a building in Kiryat Bialik on September 22, 2024. (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
The Israeli flag and the flag of Kiryat Bialik drape side-by-side over a building in Kiryat Bialik on September 22, 2024. (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
The IDF Home Front Command was on the scene throughout the day. The homes were secured, authorities searched the area, took down information about the wounded, and documented the destruction. Israel has long experience dealing with terror attacks, including rockets falling on civilian areas. All of this was ready to be put into action in Kiryat Bialik.

However, the larger picture in the Krayot and other areas that are now under fire from longer-range Hezbollah rockets is that, like most of northern Israel, there are not enough shelters here, and people will need a lot more support if the war arrives here as it has in other areas closer to the border. The lack of shelters and fortified rooms has not been fixed over the last year. 

Public shelters needed

I’ve spent many days in northern Israel since the war began on October 7 with the Hamas attack on Israel. Hezbollah began its attacks the next day. It has launched more than 8,000 rockets at Israel. It has also fired anti-tank missiles and drones. Israel evacuated more than 60,000 people from the border because of fears that Hezbollah would try a mass attack the way Hamas did. However, evacuation is not an answer. Evacuating small communities was a short-term answer. Evacuating Kiryat Shmona, a city of almost 30,000 people, sent the wrong message. Now, Israel is not evacuating the North. However, the lessons have not been learned in terms of providing shelters to the public.
The issue of the shelters and guidelines was clear from spending time here. People know they won’t make it to public shelters in time; they know they can go to stairwells. However, the people are also strong. They have been through this before, back in 2006 during the war with Hezbollah. At the time, there was no Iron Dome. Israel now has better systems for air defense and alerts. The Home Front Command has tried its best to communicate guidelines. Local authorities have done the same. Many of the authorities near here know the threat. They have many systems in place to help people and identity where rockets impact.
During the afternoon, after the sirens had come and gone, people went on with their normal lives. Some went to see the damage in Kiryat Bialik. They spoke about being awakened by sirens and the sound of explosions. On the beach, the wind created strong seas. A few fishermen tried their luck. Seven surfers also braved the surf. Out at sea, there were many commercial ships off the coast, a symbol of brisk trade at the port of Haifa. Further inland, near the site of the rocket strike in Kiryat Bialik, people were walking home before sunset.
There is a street named for Haviva Reik in Kiryat Bialik. Reik was born in Slovakia in 1914. She came to British Mandate Palestine in 1939 and soon joined the Palmach, an elite unit within the Jewish Haganah underground. Recruited as one of thirty-three Jewish parachutists who agreed to parachute into Nazi-occupied central Europe, she dropped into Slovakia in September 1944. She was captured and murdered in November 1944 by the Nazis. The spirit of those like Reik lives on here in northern Israel. The people will not bend or break because of Hezbollah’s missiles.