The Iran Attack on Israel Destroys Homes, Lives in Bat Yam

By: Nativia Samuelson, ICEJ AID Administrator

As Israelis slept early Sunday morning on June 15, Iran launched another attack on israel, resulting in a half-a-ton warhead tearing through a residential neighborhood in the coastal town of Bat Yam. In a flash, lives were shattered, homes were 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 Friday.

Devestated apartment building in Bat Yam from the Iran attack on Israel

“There’s nothing left. No house. That’s it!” shouted Yivgenya Dudka, staring in disbelief at the scraps that remained of her apartment after this attack by Iran, according to the global news agency AFP.

Lives Cut Short, Critical Injuries

The missile landed at 2:45 a.m., 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, including an 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 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 neighbors, everyone anxious for news about missing loved ones.

The Aftermath of the Attack by Iran on Bat Yam

As the ICEJ AID team toured the Bat Yam neighborhood the next day, the destruction was unbelievable. Some 75 surrounding apartment buildings sustained serious damage—22 of them are 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.

Devestated apartment in Bat Yam from the Iran attack on Israel

But most local families are still in shock and can’t begin 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 who need medicine still buried in the hopelessly gutted remains of their homes. Approximately 200 children from 5 local schools are also among those affected and face uncertainty about school next fall. Bat Yam is home as well to many Russian Jewish immigrant families with little social support.

*Nicole Yoder, ICEJ VP of AID and Aliyah, on the ground in Bat Yam following the missile strike.*

Surveying the damage, 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.”

The Impact of the Iran Attack on Israel

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 multitiered 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; 10 still in serious condition. In all, an estimated 2,700 Israelis are now homeless, and most 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.

HELP ISRAELIS IN URGENT NEED NOW

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 traumatized 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 rebuilding these homes as quickly as possible.” 

As the people of Israel huddle in bomb shelters together and wait until the nightly missile barrages from Iran are over, they are wondering once again who their true friends are in the world. The answer must 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.

Conclusion

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 across Israel, on your behalf.

Help us meet the urgent needs of those left homeless by attack missiles of Iran, Israel’s fanatical enemy. Your gift to the Israel Impact Fund will help us provide store vouchers for evacuated families to purchase food, clothing, and other essential items, help provide children summer therapy camps and other urgent trauma care, and even help fight antisemitism here in America.

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