Missile fire from Iran struck central Israel on Tuesday night, causing widespread damage in Bnei Brak and surrounding cities and leaving at least 19 people injured, including multiple children and a baby, according to emergency services.

Several missiles were launched toward the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, with impacts reported in Bnei Brak, Petach Tikvah, and Givat Shmuel. The strikes caused significant destruction to residential buildings and vehicles across multiple locations.

The most severe damage occurred in Bnei Brak, where a cluster munition directly hit a four-story residential building. The explosion caused extensive structural damage, including the collapse of a balcony. Fire and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene and conducted searches to rule out the possibility of people trapped under the rubble.

Emergency responders from Magen David Adom reported that medics treated and evacuated 19 injured individuals to Sheba Medical Center, Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, and Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center. Among the wounded were a 23-year-old man in moderate condition with shrapnel injuries to his abdomen and head, 11 individuals in mild condition suffering from blast and shrapnel injuries, and seven people treated for acute anxiety.

Of the total casualties, 12 were injured in Bnei Brak alone, including one person in moderate condition and eight with light injuries, among them six children. Three additional individuals were treated for shock.

MDA emergency medic Menachem Chai Zinger described the scene: “A woman about 80 years old was inside the home at the time of the impact. She was conscious and suffered light injuries. Despite the heavy destruction in the building, she was not in a protected space and miraculously was only lightly injured. We brought her down from the apartment fully conscious and she was evacuated to the hospital in stable condition.” He added that another woman who had been with her in the apartment was unharmed.

Fire and Rescue Services reported that crews were operating at three separate scenes in Bnei Brak. In addition to the main strike, another four-story building in the city sustained damage, and a fragment struck a balcony in a residential building in nearby Givat Shmuel.

Additional impacts were reported across the Central District, including three separate locations in Petach Tikvah and another in Rosh HaAyin. In Rosh HaAyin, a fragment landed in an open area. In Petach Tikvah, a direct hit on a building caused damage but no injuries were reported, and interceptor debris fell between residential structures.

United Hatzalah medics Yitzchak Reichman and Shmuel Rotenberg, who responded to one of the Bnei Brak scenes, said: “We arrived at an impact site where, during searches, we located an approximately 80-year-old woman with injuries to her body after being struck by shrapnel and the blast. Together with medics and paramedics from Hatzalah and MDA, we provided her with initial medical treatment at the scene, and she was evacuated for further treatment at the hospital.”

Another United Hatzalah responder, Yehuda Mor, who treated victims at a separate scene in Bnei Brak, reported: “We arrived with large forces at an impact site where, during searches, we located seven injured people, including six children, with injuries to their bodies after being struck by shrapnel and the blast. Together with medics and paramedics from Hatzalah and MDA, we provided them with initial medical treatment at the scene, and they were evacuated for further treatment at the hospital.”

Senior MDA medic Lipa Hirsch described the rescue efforts: “We received a report of a strike and arrived at the scene with large forces including ambulances, intensive care units, and rapid response motorcycles. We saw destruction on the upper floor and began searches on the upper levels. A 7-year-old boy was fully conscious. I immediately understood that he needed to be removed quickly from the building, so I picked him up and carried him out rapidly. We are continuing to search to ensure there are no additional casualties or people in need of assistance.”

United Hatzalah medic Yisrael Biton, who was among the first to arrive, and Bnei Brak branch head Efi Feldman added: “This is a scene of extensive destruction on the upper floor of the building as a result of a direct hit. We provided initial medical assistance at the scene to a 94-year-old woman who was evacuated to Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital by a United Hatzalah ambulance. At this stage, her condition is defined as moderate.”

{Matzav.com}