Iran Missile Attack Kills 3 Palestinians in West Bank, Foreign Worker in Israel
Iranian Missile Attacks Result in Multiple Casualties
Iranian missile attacks have resulted in the deaths of three Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank and a foreign worker in central Israel, according to medics. The incident occurred late Wednesday when falling shrapnel struck a hair salon in the West Bank town of Beit Awa near Hebron. This marks the first time Palestinian casualties have been reported from Iranian attacks during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The victims include 17-year-old Mays Ghazi Masalmeh, as reported by the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa. At least eight others were injured in the attack, with one woman in critical condition. The salon was set up in a metal caravan next to a house. Images from Jendela Magazine showed civil defense workers inside the caravan, where the roof appeared to be punctured by the munition. A rug and bed sheets were covered in blood.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society stated that missile fragments landed in multiple locations across the West Bank, including within the city of Hebron. This followed reports from Israel’s military about another round of Iranian missile launches.
Foreign Worker Killed in Central Israel
A short while after the attack in the West Bank, Israeli medics reported that an Iranian missile strike had killed a man in central Israel. This brings the death toll in Israel from attacks during the ongoing war to 15. The victim was identified as a “foreign worker” by Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency service. According to Israeli media reports, the man was a Thai national working in agriculture.
Thailand’s foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday the death of a Thai agricultural worker, citing information from Israeli officials. The man was killed in Moshav Adanim, a town approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Tel Aviv and less than eight kilometers from the West Bank. A statement from Magen David Adom quoted its medic Idan Shina as saying “metal shrapnel was scattered across the scene,” where the man was found dead with “severe shrapnel injuries.”
Escalation of Hostilities
The Israeli military earlier stated it had identified a round of missile fire from Iran, which it was “operating to intercept.” Since that attack, the military reported several more waves of Iranian attacks, triggering air raid alerts across parts of central and northern Israel as well as in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had launched missiles and drones at targets across Israel, according to a statement carried by Iranian news agencies Fars and ISNA. Israeli media reported that some of the overnight barrages involved the use of cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets across a wide area. Both Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using such weapons.
International Condemnation
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh received a phone call from the United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to condemn the deadly Iranian missile attack, according to UAE state media. The UAE has faced numerous Iranian attacks since the war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran.
