Scene of rocket impact in Rehovot
(Video: Avi Chai)
The senior citizen who was killed in Thursday’s rocket attack on the central city of Rehovot has been named as Inga Avramyan.
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The rocket, launched from the Gaza Strip, directly hit a four-story building on Smilansky Street, killing the octogenarian. Thirteen other people, including Avramyan’s husband who was with her at the time of impact, were injured to varying degrees. "The blast was massive," said Asaf, a neighbor living in the building, told Ynet on Friday.
The building suffered significant damage, and the Fire and Rescue Services expressed concern it may collapse.
Home Front Command head Major General Rafi Milou said that the building has an old bomb shelter that is no longer in use and has been repurposed as a storage room. Consequently, the residents did not seek shelter there when the siren went off.
Sasi, a witness to the direct impact on the building, shared: "When the siren started, I stood here and wondered if I could film. That was my mistake, and I urge everyone not to be complacent and say, 'It won’t happen to me.' I also told myself, 'It can't happen; there's no need to run to the shelter.' I got out of the car, and then when I lifted my head, I saw the missile coming straight at me. I thought it was about to hit me."
Yedidia Hakmon and Tomer Pashko, EMTS for the Magen David Adom ambulance service, recounted: "When we arrived at the scene, we saw extensive damage to the building. We immediately entered and began searching the apartments. In a third-floor apartment, we found an unconscious casualty with multiple trauma, and sadly, we had to determine her death. In another apartment in the building, we found a 74-year-old man whose leg got trapped under the rubble."
Taspai Tegania, owner of a sculpture studio on the ground floor of the building, sustained minor injuries to his back and neck. "My body was trembling; I couldn't stop crying," Tegania recounted.
"It's incredibly difficult; you don't think about it until it happens to you. There are explosions here and there, and we simply don't pay attention. If I had stayed in the studio for a few more minutes, I would be dead. Simply dead. Chunks fell from the ceiling. Luckily, I ran out and escaped. I never imagined it would reach me too."
Shai Cohen, a resident of the city who suffered minor injuries while rushing to help the tenants in the building, shared his experience: "There was an explosion, and I immediately went up to the first floor of the building. Everything was filled with shattered glass. I and two other guys started trying to open doors because we knew there were more people in one of the apartments. In the end, we broke down the door because they couldn't open it from the inside. We entered the apartment and rescued an elderly woman and her son-in-law, who had a small child in his arms."
Cohen, a construction contractor, further stated, "The building was completely devastated. I believe they will relocate all the residents because it's impossible to stay there. It's simply miraculous that this family was barely hurt after the rocket hit the building. We hope the injured will recover, and we'll end this ordeal in the best possible way."
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Dani Hagari said on Friday that a preliminary investigation indicates that the rocket that directly hit the building in Rehovot was not intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system due to a technical malfunction.
"We understand that the interceptor was fired but missed," said Hagari. "It was a self-manufactured rocket, not an advanced one. It was a rocket with a range of about 70 kilometers and carried approximately 20 kilograms of explosive material, which hit the building at a complex angle."
Home Front Command chief Milou warned on Thursday that “Iron Dome provides very good defense, but it is not absolute, and the complement to Iron Dome is the behavior of the population."
Magen David Adom has reported that since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow, rescue teams have treated 57 casualties for physical injuries and shock. The figures include one fatality, three moderate injuries, and two minor injuries from shrapnel, debris, and glass fragments. Additionally, 16 individuals were treated for minor injuries sustained while running for shelter and another 35 for shock.