"Israel did not expect this. I am amazed at the scale." The Hapoel football player spoke about what is happening in the country

Former Real Madrid footballer Jose Rodriguez, who plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv, was forced to stay in Israel after his booked flight to Spain was canceled at the last minute. The 28-year-old, who has also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa in the past, gave an interview to the Spanish media where he admitted that he was shocked by what happened.

"We are a little scared because just five minutes ago we had to go down to the bomb shelter again. Since six in the morning we have been going in and out, in and out. We are tired, and we are a little scared at night. I am quite used to it, because I have been here for four years. But how do I explain to my children what is happening? Something like this has happened several times in the past, and we were fine then, but now the situation is more complicated. There are no people on the streets. There is a war in the country," Israelhayom.co.il quoted the athlete as saying.

Rodriguez recalled the events of October 7.

"We were supposed to play a game in the evening, everything was fine, and at six in the morning my frightened wife woke me up. The alarm was going off. Since then, I have not looked away from the news feed on my smartphone. I've seen the photos and videos, and frankly, I'm amazed at the scale of what happened. Israel did not expect this, unlike previous times," the Spaniard said.

Rodriguez, who has three children, admitted that the situation is completely different now than it was before.

"I am usually a person who is not afraid of anything. But to be realistic, this time there is a little fear, especially for my family. Usually, the Iron Dome manages to stop almost all missiles, but now there is also a ground attack, and there is a fear that they will enter our territory, our house," the footballer said.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!