A fragmentation grenade exploded overnight in a residential building on Zvi Tadmor Street in Holon, causing damage but no injuries, as a string of criminal grenade incidents continued across central Israel. Unexploded grenades were also found in Hadera and north Tel Aviv.
Police bomb disposal and forensic teams from the Tel Aviv District arrived at the Holon scene and began collecting evidence.
Scene of the grenade blast in Holon
(Video: Yairv Katz)
A grenade had already been thrown at another floor of the same building about a year and a half ago. The Holon police station is located at the end of the street.
One resident described the panic inside the building. “There was a grenade explosion here in the middle of the night. Suddenly we heard a huge boom and the entire building shook,” she said. “It was terrifying. At that moment, we didn’t know what had happened or what had exploded.”
“I live on a high floor and the incident happened on a lower floor, but I still felt the blast very clearly. Everyone was frightened. It’s not something you expect to happen in your building in the middle of the night.”
Another resident said it was not the first time the building had been targeted. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time this has happened here,” he said. “More than a year ago, a grenade was already thrown at another floor in the building. When it happens again, obviously it’s frightening and worrying. People live here, families, and suddenly in the middle of the night there is an explosion in the building.”
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
In Hadera, police found an unexploded fragmentation grenade near a gas station. Police said the motive was believed to be criminal. A bomb disposal specialist and additional officers were called to the scene. An unexploded fragmentation grenade was also found in north Tel Aviv. No injuries or damage were reported.
“Officers from the Tel Aviv North station in the Yarkon District and Tel Aviv District bomb disposal experts arrived at the scene and began operations to neutralize the item, investigate and collect evidence,” police said. “The grenade was neutralized and removed. The background is criminal.”
The latest incidents follow another grenade attack last week in north Tel Aviv. Between Wednesday and Thursday night, a fragmentation grenade was thrown at a tower in the upscale Park Tzameret neighborhood. The explosion was heard throughout the area, including in Ramat Gan, and damaged the entrance to one of the towers.
In a separate incident that same night, a fragmentation grenade was thrown at a Rami Levy Stock branch under construction in Ramla. The store is scheduled to open in the coming days. Police opened an investigation.
Recent weeks have seen a series of grenade attacks, shootings and attempted arson incidents, including at Japanika restaurant branches around the country. Authorities believe the sushi chain may have become caught up in a dispute between criminal organizations.
The wave of criminal violence even prompted the U.S. Embassy to issue an unusual warning to American citizens in Israel.