Under Fire, Undermanned: Israel's Wartime Economy Soldiers On

Ashkelon, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Nov, 2023) When rocket sirens echo on the factory floor of Rav-Bariach Industries, Israel's biggest maker of security doors, workers rush to take refugee in bomb shelters fitted with their own kit.

As the wailing subsides, they get back to the production line, making more blast-proof safe room hatches as Israel's economy adapts to the uneasy rhythm of life in wartime.

"This is part of our reality," said CEO Idan Zu-Aretz in Ashkelon, 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Gaza Strip where combat rages between Israel and Hamas.

Since war broke out, barrages of Hamas rockets -- and the response of Israel's "Iron Dome" anti-missile system -- punctuate the working day at Rav-Bariach, which produces heavy-duty locks and filtration systems, as well as security doors.

"The demand for those products is skyrocketing," 51-year-old Zu-Aretz told AFP.