Iranian missile bombardment kills 11 Israelis, injures hundreds more

National Post

2 days ago

At least 11 people were killed overnight Saturday in a wave of Iranian missile attacks on civilian areas across Israel.
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Seven people were killed when an apartment building in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, sustained a direct hit, according to the Magen David Adom emergency medical service. A four-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy are among the dead.
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Rescue efforts are ongoing at the scene, where two people remained unaccounted for beneath the rubble after four of the missing were found at hospitals. At least 180 others were wounded in the strike, according to Daniel Hadad, Ayalon region director of the Israel Defence Forces' Home Front Command.
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Four members of the Khatib family were killed in Tamra, a village in the Lower Galilee, 12 miles east of Acre, when an Iranian missile hit their residence. The victims were identified as Manar Khatib, 45, her daughters Shada, 20, and Hala, 13, and their relative, Manal Khatib, 41. Fourteen others were wounded in the strike.
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A missile strike in Haifa injured 13 people, all of whom were reported to be in moderate or mild condition.
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Meanwhile, in Rehovot in central Israel, a direct hit on a building left 37 people wounded, two seriously, Magen David Adom said. The Weizmann Institute of Science in the same city said that several of its buildings were damaged by the missile barrage, but that there were no casualties, adding that the institute is in contact with security and emergency services to ensure the safety of its staff and campus.
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The IDF Home Front Command was continuing to operate at the impact zones in Bat Yam, Tamra and Rehovot on Sunday morning.
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The Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs announced that 742 citizens were left homeless following the overnight attacks, many of whom were evacuated by the Home Front Command to hotels across the country.
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Nearly 80 missiles were fired at Israel in two barrages, according to estimates in the defence establishment, Israeli media reported on Sunday. About 40 missiles were fired at the north, and approximately 35 missiles targeted the central region.
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Earlier, between Friday and early Saturday morning, three more civilians were killed by Iranian ballistic missile attacks on central Israel.
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'A very sad and difficult morning. Our brothers and sisters were murdered and injured last night in heinous Iranian attacks against the civilian population in Bat Yam, Tamra and other communities,' Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday.
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'Jews and Arabs, longtime citizens and new immigrants, including children and the elderly, women and men. I share in the families' deep sorrow and mourn this terrible loss. I pray for the recovery of the wounded and the safe return of the missing. We will mourn together. We will overcome together,' he added.