Nonstop air-raid sirens and rockets targeting the Tel Aviv metropolitan area (Gush Dan) from Iran, have forced millions of Israelis into their safe rooms (Mamad), often in the dead of night. While most civilians remained glued to news broadcasts or alert apps, rescue and firefighting teams worked at directly struck sites and returned with life-saving recommendations, some sounding trivial, others surprising, but all born from blood, dust and shattered glass.

Here are the five items you should keep in your Mamad to ensure you can react quickly if a missile hits your residential building directly:

1. Closed-toe shoes

One of the most common incidents reported involved residents sprinting into the Mamad without shoes, then having to exit into a devastated apartment where floors were littered with debris, glass shards and chunks of wall. In several cases, people were injured while trying to walk barefoot over sharp fragments. Recommendation: leave a pair of sturdy closed-toe shoes by the door inside your Mamad, ready for quick donning.

2. Emergency bag

Evacuation of a rocket-struck building often comes with a strict ban on reentering the apartment due to risks of structural collapse or rekindled fires. Rescue teams therefore advise keeping a prepacked bag inside the Mamad containing at least one to two days’ worth of clothing, essential medications, cash, a power bank, your passport and ID card, car keys, and other vital documents such as insurance papers or bank account details. In a sudden evacuation, this kit can greatly reduce needless hardship.

Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel since its inception.

Born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, he grew up in Jerusalem before moving with his family to Pennsylvania during his high school years, where his father taught history. In 1967 Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the IDF’s Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, where he served until 1973.

He took part in many military operations, including a 1972 rescue mission of hostages in a hijacked Sabena airplane, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu finished his military service in 1972, but returned to serve in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, after which he was promoted to the rank of Captain.

His brother Yonatan “Yoni,” an IDF officer, was killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976 at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda where Israelis were being held hostage. His was the only death resulting from the mission.

He has degrees in architecture and business management from MIT. He also studied political science at MIT and Harvard University. He served as Israel’s ambassador to the UN from 1984-1988, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ariel Sharon’s government.

In 1993 Netanyahu was elected Likud party chairman and served as the leader of the opposition until being elected prime minister in 1996. In 2009, he was elected prime minister for the second time, in January 2013 a third, and in March 2015 a fourth.

He is married to Sara Netanyahu with whom he has two children, Yair and Avner.

In 2018, the Mossad stole Iran’s nuclear archive. Netanyahu later presented the information to the international community. Netanyahu strongly opposes a nuclear deal with Iran.

Under the rotation government set by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Netanyahu serves as the leader of the opposition.