Israeli civilian killed after rocket hits Rehovot
Australian Jewish and pro-Israel organisations have shared condolences and voiced solidarity with Israel after a barrage of more than 800 rockets, one of which killed a civilian in the central Israeli city of Rehovot outside Tel Aviv.
Police and rescue forces at the scene where a rocket fired from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the Gaza Strip hit and damaged a house in Rehovot on May 11, 2023. Photo by Yossi Aloni/Flash90
The first Israeli civilian was killed by the rocket fire launched at civilian targets in the country by the Islamic Jihad since the IDF began “Operation Shield and Arrow” against the terrorist organisation’s leadership and bases in Gaza Tuesday morning. The victim was killed when a rocket hit a residential building in the city of Rehovot, located in central Israel, Thursday evening.
Magen David Adom did not identify the man but reported that he suffered from multiple systemic injuries due to the rocket attack.
There were a total of eight casualties from the attack, including one fatality. There were also four listed in moderate condition and three others who suffered minor injuries.
Five of the wounded were sent to Kaplan Hospital, including a 74-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, two women around the age of 70 and 1 minor whose age was not disclosed.
MDA medics Yedidia Hachmon and Tomer Peshko said, “When we arrived on the street we saw a lot of destruction in the building. We immediately went inside and began to search the apartments. In the apartment on the third floor, an unconscious victim was found with a very severe multi-system injury and we had no choice but to determine his death.”
The two said they found a 74-year-old man in another apartment whose leg was trapped under the rubble. He was rescued by the fire brigade and transported on a stretcher to the MDA ambulance, which sent him for further treatment at the hospital in moderate condition.
Additional units of the MDA arrived at the scene and provided medical treatment to 3 more victims who were in moderate condition and to one victim described to have been lightly wounded.
Executive director of The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Dr Colin Rubenstein, said: ““The news of the first Israeli fatality from the current wave of rocket fire from Gaza serves as a tragic reminder that as remarkably effective as Iron Dome is in defending against such attacks, it’s not infallible.
Every rocket fired indiscriminately from Gaza is a war crime, and this incident proves once again that Israel not only has a right to defend itself from such attacks, including preemptively, but it has an obligation to do so using all the tools at its disposal.”
The co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, told J-Wire: “Israelis have been subjected to rocket and mortar attacks from armed terrorist groups in Gaza continually since 2001. These groups openly declare that they make no distinction between Israeli military and civilian targets, and in fact almost all of these attacks have been aimed at Israel’s major population centres and other civilian targets.
This leaves no room for argument that the Palestinian rocket attacks are war crimes, and this factor must be taken into consideration in assessing the ‘proportionality’ of Israel’s suppressing measures in response. Although Israel’s defensive Iron Dome system has proven effective in intercepting most of the rockets fired by Palestinians at Israel, some of them will inevitably get through. The killing of an Israeli civilian in Rehovot and the wounding of several elderly Israelis in the latest rocket attacks are utterly deplorable, as were the deaths of four Gazan civilians killed by some of the 100 Palestinian rockets which misfired or landed inside the Gaza Strip.
Shamefully, much of the western media has downplayed these aspects.”
ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said, “The Australian Jewish community stands by Israel’s unequivocal right to defend itself. Less than a week before this operation began, Islamic Jihad fired over a hundred rockets at Israeli cities. Israel is targeting Islamic Jihad’s ability to make, store and fire rockets so as to protect Israel’s citizens. Just as we thank the IDF for taking every precaution to avoid civilian deaths in Gaza, we mourn all loss of innocent life.”
Mr Leibler continued, “We are terribly saddened that an Israeli in Rehovot was killed by a Palestinian rocket, and take comfort that Israel is doing everything it can to protect its citizens. Over 800 rockets have been fired at Israeli civilians in the last two days. The only reason more Israelis haven’t been killed is the incredible lengths to which Israel goes to protect its people, such as Iron Dome, public bomb shelters and reinforced rooms in every single apartment and house.”
Mr Leibler concluded, “Every Islamic Jihad rocket fired towards civilians is a war crime. Islamic Jihad and Gaza’s ruler Hamas must be held accountable by responsible governments across the world for these crimes.”
Report from Gil Tanenbaum/TPS and J-Wire
well, they will always retaliate when you try to stop them.thats in them from the time their born as they grow up.to hate the Israelis.
Unfortunately Jeremy leibler needs to amend his statement that the Australian Jewish community stands by Israel’s right to fight back to read some Australian Jewish community members stands by Israel
There are progressive left Jews and Jewish groups here who do not share that view and expressing criticism against Israel and support for the Palestinians.