Missile fire from Iran toward Israel has brought with it a strange new consumer phenomenon: Palestinians are collecting interception debris, missile fragments and remnants of fallen projectiles and selling them on the local market as scrap metal.
In a viral video circulating on social media, a Palestinian resident is seen selling a piece of interceptor debris that landed in his yard for 300 shekels (about $80). “God willing, next time I’ll get a bigger piece,” the seller says with a smile.
Palestinians sell parts of interceptors
In the town of Meithalun, south of Jenin, residents were filmed sawing apart fragments of fallen projectiles and feeding them into the scrap market. In Beita, near Nablus, a Palestinian man was seen dragging debris attached to a tractor.
Against the backdrop of the footage, the Palestinian police and Civil Defense in the West Bank issued stern warnings about the danger posed by debris from intercepted Iranian missiles.
Police urged the public to remain on the lower floors of buildings, avoid going onto rooftops or standing on balconies and stay away from open areas and windows. They stressed that suspicious objects or fragments that fall into yards or open spaces must not be touched, as they may contain unstable explosive materials.
Civil Defense also warned against gatherings in the streets and approaching impact sites, calling on residents not to handle shrapnel until professional teams arrive. “Watching flying objects from rooftops is a real danger and irresponsible,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Economy Ministry announced that essential goods are in sufficient supply to meet local market needs for up to six months and called on the public to refrain from rushing stores.