On Gulf War anniversary, IDF releases never before seen footage

The photos also show Israeli families in the safe rooms that Israelis were instructed to create in their own homes by sealing rooms using materials like duct tape and sheets of plastic.

JANUARY 6, 2021 19:12

Video collection archive of Israel during the Gulf War, particularly in the wake of fired missiles. (Credit: IDF Archives, Defense Ministry.)

The IDF has released archived documents, photographs and videos from the Gulf War, 30 years after it took place.

Among the released documents is an operational log that reveals how many Patriot air defense system missiles were fired by Israel in response to Iraqi Scud missiles and how many Israeli citizens injected themselves with atropine to protect themselves against Iraq's chemical warfare threat.

A mound of destruction: Houses that were destroyed down to their foundations due to hits from Iraqi Scud missiles. (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES DEFENSE MINISTRY AND MICHAEL SARFATI AND AVI SIMCHONI)

One of the activated missiles belonging to the Isareli Air Force. (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES, DEFENSE MINISTRY)

A US Army chaplain stands next to a military Aron Kodesh (Torah ark). (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES DEFENSE MINISTRY AND GOEL AMIR)

One newly released document shows a map of Israel with the locations at which missiles fell marked on the map.

Map of Israel detailing where all the missiles fell. (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES, DEFENSE MINISTRY)

Missiles were fired from Iraq starting on the night between the 17 and 18 of January until February 25 of 1991, culminating the threat on the holiday of Purim that year.

A patriotic rabbi: A US army chaplain in one of the Patriot air defense system missiles on a military base with a bulletproof vest. (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES DEFENSE MINISTRY AND GOEL AMIR)

There are also various documents showing the behind-the-scenes of the action of war, in the form of operations log.

The pictures show Israelis living daily life with their gas masks always nearby. In one photo, a young couple lounges at the beach with the boxes containing their masks within easy reach.

Catching some sun: On the beach, with masks in boxes, just in case of need. (Credit: IDF ARCHIVES DEFENSE MINISTRY AND WIND NOAM)

In addition, photos are also seen of Israeli families in the safe rooms that Israelis were instructed to create in their own homes by sealing rooms using materials like duct tape and sheets of plastic.