Absolutely heartbreaking to watch, and I can only hope that one day we will be able to establish a permanent and definitive ceasefire. (Israeli)

Greetings, everyone! I'm an Israeli from Tel Aviv, and like most Israelis I'm extremely saddened by what's happening. I don't think anyone wants a war, but yet we continue to fight for our survival.<br><br>I'm not here to argue with anyone, I know that there are different sides to this conflict and we are not saints. I'm just here to explain how I see it from my perspective.<br><br>Never in my life have I ever imagined that I would wake up to the sound of sirens warning about an incoming missile strike. For my entire life I've been watching the news and the conflict, but I was so far from it. <br><br>I live in Tel Aviv, which is not in the Gaza Envelope or anywhere near the border, but I never imagined that one day the conflict would be at my doorstep. <br><br>I was at home, in my room, and I was woken up by the sound of the siren. My father and I were in shock, we didn't know what to do, but we ran to the safe room. <br><br>In the shelter, we were all in shock, not knowing what to say or do. We just waited for it to be over. We were all scared, not knowing where the missile would land. <br><br>As we came out, we were greeted with the sight of smoke and flames from the Iron Dome defense system intercepting the missiles. <br><br>I can't describe how horrible and terrifying it was. Even though the Iron Dome protected us from harm, the fear of where the next missile would land lingered. <br><br>We followed the news the entire day, and we were horrified by what happened in the south. So many innocent people were killed and injured, and thousands fled their homes in fear of their lives.<br><br>We did not want this war, and we want it to end. We want peace, but we can't let our citizens be threatened and harmed by terrorists. We will do everything in our power to protect our citizens.<br><br>I wish for peace to come soon. I hope that we can talk and find a solution. I don't want to ever go through this horror again. I want children on both sides to grow up without knowing what a war is.