At least nine people were killed, and around 20 people were injured on Sunday when the roof of a shelter (miklat) in Old Beit Shemesh sustained a direct hit in a barrage of missiles launched by Iran at Israel shortly before 2 p.m.

Witnesses said that some of the victims were in the protected area when the missile hit.

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem declared a mass casualty incident.

There are concerns about people trapped under the rubble, and Border Police officers are currently carrying out searches.

Chaim Weingarten, ZAKA’s Deputy Director of Operations, who is at the scene, said: “We arrived at the scene just minutes after the report of a direct hit. What we saw is a tragedy that cannot be described in words — people whose lives were cut short in a single moment of cruelty. Our volunteers, who are prepared for every scenario, are working here with deep reverence and mesirus nefesh to ensure dignified care for each of the victims. We are making every effort to complete this avodas hakodesh as quickly as possible despite the difficult sights.”

Nati Ben Shimon, a paramedic from MDA’s motorcycle unit, said: “When we arrived, we saw extensive destruction, including several buildings that were severely damaged. Some of the injured were trapped in their apartments and were rescued. It was a difficult scene—we found four casualties in critical condition with severe injuries to their bodies.”

“At the same time, additional MDA teams provided medical treatment to two people in serious condition, and to several others in moderate and light condition, as well as people suffering from shock. We set up a forward triage point near the scene and evacuated all the wounded quickly and in an orderly manner to the hospitals.”

A resident told Kikar HaShabbat. “The shelter was completely demolished, and so were other homes throughout the area. It feels like a war zone — tens of meters are destroyed. I didn’t believe something like this could happen here.”

The Beit Shemesh Municipality issued a statement saying that there are casualties at the scene, and that rescue operations are ongoing. “Security and municipal teams are on the ground and handling the incident. We are doing everything we can to assist the injured and residents in the affected area,” the municipality said. “Please refrain from coming to the scene – this is an unnecessary risk and interferes with rescue efforts.”

Also in the latest barrage, a man of about 50 was moderately injured by shrapnel on a moshav in central Israel.

This is a developing story.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)