BEIT SHEMESH, Israel — Rabbi Yitzhak Biton, who lost three of his children in a ballistic missile attack on Beit Shemesh, said Israelis must respond to the tragedy with unity and goodness, in an emotional interview with Israeli news site Ynet.

Biton’s children — Yaakov, 16; Avigail, 15; and Sarah, 13 — were among nine civilians killed when an Iranian missile struck a residential area and synagogue Sunday afternoon. The family had been heading toward an underground shelter beneath the synagogue when the missile hit, causing the shelter and surrounding structures to collapse. Biton’s wife, Tamar, and their youngest daughter, Racheli, 4, survived. The three siblings were buried Monday at Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives cemetery.

“We heard a tremendous blast,” Biton told Ynet. “Our home was severely damaged, the ceiling collapsed, and smoke was rising. God could have taken one of them, maybe two, but He chose to take all of them. I know they are in a very high place.”

האב השכול יצחק ביטון ספד בבכי
בהלווית שלושת ילדיו שנרצחו מפגיעת טיל איראני בבית שמש, "אברהם אבינו אתה עקדת את בנך יחידך, אני עקדתי את בני יעקב, את בתי אביגיל ואת בתי שרה". pic.twitter.com/lmpoN3Dpsj

— חזקי ברוך (@HezkeiB) March 2, 2026

The strike was the deadliest since the broader conflict with Iran began and left more than 50 people wounded. Rescue efforts were complicated by damaged roads and infrastructure as emergency crews worked through rubble to reach survivors. Among other victims identified were Yosef and Bruria Cohen and 16‑year‑old Gavriel Baruch Revach.

Biton and his family are sitting shiva at a Jerusalem hotel while they grieve. He said the loss reinforced his belief that the nation must draw closer together. “Sadness brings very difficult thoughts. We must increase good and unity in the people,” he said.

Israeli military investigators noted that warning systems were activated and that shelters were being used, but a direct hit on a protected space can still result in devastating consequences. Authorities have evacuated residents from the strike zone as they assess safety and housing needs.

The missile impact and deaths of civilians have deepened debate over defense capabilities and shelter standards, even as the conflict with Iran continues to escalate with strikes and counterstrikes across the region.