By Nativia Samuelsen

As Israelis slept early Sunday morning, an Iranian missile with a half-ton warhead suddenly tore through a residential neighbourhood in the coastal town of Bat Yam. In a flash, lives were shattered, homes ripped apart, and shards of glass rained in all directions. This typically quiet community instantly turned into a ghastly scene of thick smoke, frightened screams, mounds of rubble, flipped cars and blaring sirens. This was ground zero for the deadliest missile strike yet in Iran’s desperate bid to draw Israeli blood since the start of “Operation Rising Lion” last Thursday night.

“There’s nothing left. No house. That’s it,”shouted Yivgenya Dudka, staring in disbelief at the scraps that remained of her apartment, according to AFP.

The missile landed at 2:45 AM, catching many off guard in the middle of the night.The rocket struck directly on the sixth floor of a tall apartment building, causing an entire side of the building to collapse. The concussion wave from the blast damaged buildings and cars for several blocks all around. Seven people were killed, includingan 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, their lives cut short in the very place they should have been safest. Dozens more were injured, some critically. Scores of others were saved by mere seconds when they reached stairwells or bomb shelters just in time.

Rushing immediately to the site, emergency crews crawled through the twisted metal, broken concrete slabs, and charred furniture to help anyone they could find. As the rescue teams sifted through the wreckage, they listened for sounds of breathing or crying beneath the heavy layers of debris. The dark night air was still clogged with dust and smoke. Survivors sat in shock on the sidewalks, wrapped in blankets. Some were speaking to first responders, others were clutching phones or the hands of neighbours, everyone anxious for news about missing loved ones.

As the ICEJ Aid team toured the Bat Yam neighbourhood on Monday, the destruction was unbelievable! Some 75 surrounding apartment buildings sustained serious damage, with 22 of them already marked for demolition. Tsvika Brot, the mayor of Bat Yam, escorted our team around, trying to encourage everyone with fast-track plans to tear down the unsafe buildings within two months and completely rebuild and upgrade the area within two to three years.

But most of the local families are still too in shock to think about several years down the road. Hundreds are now left homeless, and have been evacuated to nearby hotels. Among them are many elderly people in need of medicines still buried in the hopelessly gutted remains of their homes. Approximately 200 children from five local schools are also among those affected, facing uncertainty about school next fall. Bat Yam is home as well to many Russian Jewish immigrant families with little social safety net.

Surveying the damage two days later, Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President of Aid and Aliyah, recoiled at the wreckage caused by the blast.

“This level of devastation is something new for us to see in Israel,” she observed. “We’re heartbroken for the lives lost and deeply concerned for the thousands now displaced here and elsewhere in Israel, many of whom have no safety net.”

Israeli authorities say that at least 24 civilians have been killed so far by the 370-plus Iranian missiles launched at the nation’s coastal heartland over the past four days. Around 30 missiles have slipped past Israel’s vaunted multi-tiered air defense system, causing similar scenes of destruction at their points of impact up and down the country. Some 600 people have been injured in these blasts, with 10 still in serious condition. In all, an estimated 2,700 Israelis are now homeless, most having fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Thus, these families have many urgent needs: clothing, food, medicines, diapers, and hygiene supplies. Once these basic needs are met, the focus in the days and weeks to come will shift to longer-term recovery.

Back in the hardest-hit town of Bat Yam, Mayor Brot listed his initial set of priorities, explaining that after the people are provided, food, temporary housing and other basic necessities, the focus must turn to the children.

“Therapeutic summer camps for traumatised children are an immediate essential, to help the impacted children deal with the trauma as soon as possible. Then later, educational and resilience support for those returning to school in the fall and re-building these homes as quickly as possible.” 

As Israelis huddle in bomb shelters together and wait until the nightly Iranian missile barrages are over, they are wondering once again who their true friends are in the world. The answer has to be Christians like us! We must not look away, but step in and help these battered Israelis who have lost everything in a battle of good versus evil.

Many Israeli families are hurting from the loss of home and loved ones, yet they remain determined to press on toward a better future. The ICEJ is there at ground zero in Bat Yam, and all across Israel, on your behalf. Help us meet the urgent needs of those left homeless by the missiles of a fanatical enemy. Your gift to our “Israel in Crisis” fund can help us provide store vouchers for evacuated families to purchase food, clothing, and other essential items, and offer the children summer therapy camps and other urgent trauma care. So, please give today!

Donate at: help.icej.org/crisis

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