In a series of three tweets Thursday afternoon, journalist Yair Rosenberg noted: “An Ethiopian-Israeli mother of 3 quite possibly prevented a war between Israel and Gaza yesterday. Her name is Miri Tamano, and here is how it happened.”
Rosenberg was referring to a Gaza rocket attack in Beersheba on Wednesday morning, which completely destroyed Tamano’s home.
When Code Red sirens sounded in southern Israel, Tamano quickly grabbed her three young sons and took them into the shelter. She told reporters, “I thought it was dream. When I came to my senses, I hurried to take the children to the security room. I was trembling and I was afraid.”
But her quick thinking saved her family’s life — and may have prevented a violent conflict.
As Rosenberg points out in his Twitter thread, “Had any of these children — ages 8, 10, and 12 —been murdered in their beds by a rocket from Gaza, Israel’s government — like any other — would likely have felt compelled to respond forcefully in an escalation that could easily have led to war.”
Tamano’s sister, Ora, told The Times of Israel, “My sister is a lioness. When the rocket sirens went off in the middle of the night, “she just grabbed the kids by force and dragged them to the shelter. That’s why they’re alive.”
Tamano’s home was directly hit and demolished. Her sons are unharmed but are being treated for anxiety. She told the media, “I no longer have a home, The memories are gone. Inside the house, the closets were stuffed with all kinds of things — and now there’s nothing left.”
Tamano and her family are eligible for help from the Israeli government, as they are classified victims of a terror attack.
