Six people, including two children, were killed in Bat Yam after an overnight missile strike from Iran struck residential buildings in the coastal city. Emergency teams continued searching Sunday morning for dozens still unaccounted for, as the attack marked one of the deadliest days since the war began.
Magen David Adom said six bodies have been recovered so far in Bat Yam. The victims include a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 50s, an 18-year-old man, a 10-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl. The ages are based on initial assessments and not formal identification.
The Home Front Command reported that some people remain missing in Bat Yam, where a direct hit caused a partial building collapse and widespread destruction. In Rehovot, rescue crews are working to free a person still believed to be trapped under debris after a similar strike on a residential building.
In total, approximately 35 people are reported missing across both cities. Officials said 61 buildings in Bat Yam were damaged, six of which are beyond repair and slated for demolition.
More than 200 people have been wounded in the latest wave of attacks. Around 170 were treated in the central regions of Gush Dan and the Shfela alone, including at least six in serious condition. Hospitals in Tel Aviv, Holon, Rehovot, Ashdod and Be’er Ya’akov reported steady streams of casualties overnight, many arriving independently amid the chaos.
The confirmed dead in Bat Yam include a 9-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, a 69-year-old woman, an 80-year-old woman, and two others whose identities have not yet been released. In the northern city of Tamra, a missile struck a home earlier in the evening, killing four members of the same family—women ranging in age from teens to forties—and injuring 20 others lightly.
One woman who survived the Bat Yam strike described the moment the ceiling collapsed on her as she took shelter in her home. “I thought I was going to die,” she said. She managed to crawl out barefoot and has since been searching for her missing dog.
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The overnight barrage marks one of the most lethal escalations since hostilities began. Military and emergency officials said rescue and recovery efforts would continue throughout the day, with structural assessments and humanitarian aid being deployed across the affected zones.