Rockets and the humming of fighter jets could be heard in the background.
A rocket exploded near a hotel in Israel's Ashkelon, barely a few kilometres from the Gaza strip, this morning as NDTV journalists were about to check in. Air raid sirens blared and the crew ran for the basement shelter leaving their luggage behind, showed visuals underlining the horror that Israelis are facing.
NDTV brings this exclusive ground report from Israel which is fighting an all-out war against Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
The skies were illuminated with rocket trajectories as our crew made their way from the Tel Aviv airport to Ashkelon, a coastal city few kilometres from Gaza. Several roads were barricaded, indicating the dire security situation.
The road to Ashkelon was empty and silent, rather unusual from how the city once beamed with civilians on the streets.
The driver had clear instructions - the car would be stopped if the air raid siren goes off and the passengers must get out on the road and lie down.
They had just reached the hotel and had their luggage taken out that the sirens blared - which meant just one thing - leave everything and find a shelter. The luggage remained on the road as the crew ran to the basement.
Gaza is barely 10-12 km from here and Israel's retaliatory attacks are visible from this city. Rockets and the humming of fighter jets could be heard in the background. Live visuals showed rockets piercing the skies.
Over 1,100 civilians and soldiers have been killed on both sides in the war that began Saturday morning following a barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza. This includes over 700 in Israel.
Israel has unleashed a fierce counterattack, determined to "change the face of reality" in Gaza.
The Israeli Iron Dome system is fully active in Ashkelon, about 10-12 km from Gaza, and is intercepting the rockets fired from the blockaded coastal enclave. However, given the volume of the rockets fired by Hamas, some rockets may be leaking through these defences.