Knesset guards on Thursday found shrapnel from the intercept of a Houthi ballistic missile fired overnight. No sirens were activated in Jerusalem and the Knesset said no damage was caused by the shrapnel that was removed by police sappers. The IDF was investigating the incident.
A school in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv's neighbor to the east, suffered major damage and would be torn down. "We heard the explosion at night, I’m in shock," said Nir, whose children attend the school. "This is the school I attended; my kids study here, and now they’ll need to move to a different school," he said.
Moment of impact in Ramat Gan
The school’s main building collapsed, causing damage to nearby cars and homes. Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama announced that first- to fourth-grade students will study at a nearby school, while fifth- to eighth-grade students will switch to online learning.
“Destruction is extensive, and IDF is still investigating, but engineers have determined the school must be demolished. There’s a silver lining—the students will get a new school. Houthis can fire missiles, but we will remain resilient and united. Ramat Gan has robust protective measures, and we deeply appreciate the air defense system, but there’s no such thing as 100% safety,” said the mayor.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the school and stated, “The impact was caused by the warhead after it was likely intercepted. I’m glad the Air Force struck the Houthis hard yesterday. The message that Israel’s strong arm will reach all fronts working against us must resonate across the Middle East.
“In terms of handling the incident, the children are already at an alternative school for the day. No one was hurt, and I estimate routine will return in two weeks. A new building is ready for occupancy, and we’ll move the children there. Psychological support and assistance are being provided, even though, thank God, none of the staff or children were harmed. Israel is strong, and we’ll overcome any challenge, and our enemies will feel the full force of our response.”
“This appears to be a missile strike. We are in the final stages of investigation, but the inquiry is not yet complete," Col. Yehonatan Raz, a commander in Home Front Command told Ynet.
“We also inspected other buildings in the neighborhood to ensure there were no injuries or damage. We are still at war. In recent weeks, the volume of fire has decreased significantly, but we remain prepared to respond. All educational facilities in Ramat Gan have access to shelters or reinforced safe rooms. Even during the day, it’s likely this would have been a survivable event due to adherence to Home Front Command guidelines. The shelter at the school remained intact and undamaged.”
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Interceptor fragments were found in Modi’in Maccabim-Re’ut, where no warning sirens were activated. No injuries occurred, and only minor property damage was reported.