In a tragic overnight incident in Israel, four family members lost their lives when an Iranian missile struck a residential building. The situation could have escalated further had the missile’s bomb not been a dud, according to officials.
The missile was en route to a vital target, an oil refinery in Haifa, a northern city, when the Israeli military managed to partially intercept it. Despite their efforts, the warhead remained intact and eventually hit a residential complex, as reported by the New York Times.
The missile’s impact was devastating, causing significant structural damage and leading to the collapse of sections of the building. This triggered an intense 18-hour rescue operation to find survivors. Among those pulled from the wreckage were an elderly man, aged 82, and a baby, both rescued by first responders who painstakingly removed debris by hand, according to Erez Geller, who heads the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
“The scene was reminiscent of an earthquake,” Geller described to the Times, noting how parts of the building had remained intact while others had crumbled into a hollow.
The victims of this calamity were identified as Dima Gershovitz, aged 42, his wife Lucille Jane, 35, and his parents, Vladimir and Lena Gershovitz, aged 73 and 70 respectively, as per Israeli media outlets.
Tragically, Dima Gershovitz, who worked as an engineer, had only just returned his father home from Haifa hospital hours before the missile obliterated their residence, burying them beneath the rubble, according to reports by Ynet.
The search and rescue operation was complicated by the fact that the missile’s warhead did not explode upon impact, but Geller noted that the bomb’s failure spared the lives of the survivors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences to the families of the dead as he stressed the importance for residents to adhere to siren warnings when a missile attack is detected.
Those who were caught in Sunday’s strike in Haifa were inside the residential building and not at the nearest bomb shelter with their neighbors, officials said.
“The most important thing, however, which came up again in this conversation, is one simple rule, an ironclad rule,” Netanyahu said. “For those who follow the instructions of the Home Front Command and remain in a protected area, the chances of getting hurt are virtually non-existent.”
The attack, which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed responsibility for without mentioning the residential building hit, is the second deadliest in Israel so far since the war began Feb. 28.
The Jewish state has faced increased pressure to better defend its residents amid the war with Iran as the Islamic state’s missiles continue to periodically pierce Israel’s air defense system.
Cluster bomb attacks left at least six people injured on Monday in northern and central Israel, with a 34-year-old woman left seriously wounded in Petah Tikva, Magen David Adom said.
At least 23 people have been killed in Israel so far by missile fire from Iran and its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, according to Israeli officials.
