A Qassam rocket is displayed in Sderot town hall against a background of pictures of Israeli residents killed in rocket attacks. Photo: Tom Spender via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Students taking their English final exam in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Monday had their test interrupted by “Color Red” incoming rocket sirens.

“We knew it could happen, it is not pleasant and extremely stressful. Luckily, the siren went off toward the end of the test, so it did not ruin everything,” said Daniel, a Beersheba student.

Elisha Peleg, principal of Beersheba’s AMIT Wasserman High School, said both the high school students taking the test and sixth-graders in school for summer camp “displayed remarkable resilience and acted responsibly.”

Classes at the Sapir College in Sderot were canceled Tuesday and Wednesday, and Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba said there would be no final exams on Tuesday. In Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gan Yavne, and the surrounding area, gatherings at the beach, performance halls, and any other places whether the number of people could reach dozens were temporarily banned. Summer camps in Ashkelon and Ashdod were canceled until further notice.

Israeli residents have expressed their fears of further escalation.

“It’s scary, you hear that terrifying sound a rocket makes as it flies over you,” said Sabrina Cohen of Netivot. “It conjures these horrible world-is-ending thoughts, and then suddenly the explosion, no less scary, when [the] Iron Dome [system] intercepts the rocket. Why does this have to be our routine?”