Two female paramedics lightly injured after missile fragments hit an ambulance in Tel Aviv.

The name of another victim of the missile strike in Bat Yam has been released: Meir (Miro) Vaknin, 56 years old https://bit.ly/3FZsIPw

הותר לפרסום שמו של הרוג נוסף מפגיעת הטיל בבת ים: מאיר (מירו) ווקנין, בן 56 https://bit.ly/3FZsIPw

The name of another victim of the missile strike in Bat Yam has been released: Meir (Miro) Vaknin, 56 years old https://bit.ly/3FZsIPw

הותר לפרסום שמו של הרוג נוסף מפגיעת הטיל בבת ים: מאיר (מירו) ווקנין, בן 56 https://bit.ly/3FZsIPw

The name of another person killed in the missile strike in Bat Yam has been released: Michael (Mickey) Nahum, a 61-year-old resident of the city.

הותר לפרסום שמו של הרוג נוסף מפגיעת הטיל בבת ים: מיכאל (מיקי) נחום, תושב העיר בן 61

Another body was recovered from the scene of the attack in Bat Yam, bringing the death toll to 8; the name of one of the victims was released: Belina Ashkenazi, a 94-year-old resident of the city.

גופה נוספת חולצה מזירת הפגיעה בבת ים, מניין הנספים עלה ל-8; הותר לפרסום שמה של אחת ההרוגות: בלינה אשכנזי, תושבת העיר בת 94

3 killed tonight in Bat Yam, including a 10-year-old boy

3 הרוגים הערב בבת ים, ביניהם ילד בן 10

Netanyahu at the scene of the attack in Bat Yam: "Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children" https://bit.ly/3Td0gwR

נתניהו בזירת הפגיעה בבת ים: "איראן תשלם מחיר יקר מאוד על רצח בכוונה תחילה של אזרחים, נשים וילדים" https://bit.ly/3Td0gwR

Permission granted for publication: Efrat Saranga (44) is one of those killed in the direct hit tonight in Bat Yam https://bit.ly/3HHLo6S @OfekTzach

הותר לפרסום: אפרת סרנגה (44) היא אחת ההרוגות בפגיעה הישירה הלילה בבת ים https://bit.ly/3HHLo6S @OfekTzach

The headline this morning could have been: "Missile hits building in Bat Yam. No injuries reported except for a few panic attacks." There is a shelter in this building. Standard. The Home Front Command provided citizens with two warnings that were supposed to allow enough time to go down to the shelter and organize themselves at ease. There are photos of this shelter. It was not damaged at all. And yet so many people chose not to go down to this shelter at night. Some, according to the testimonies, did not even want to leave the house. It burns my heart. I sat up all night watching the rescues. I don't know how we'll do it on Scale, but we *must* change the diskette. *must*. This is not an operation against Hamas, these are not rockets. We are at *war* against a country that is dropping hundreds of kilograms of explosives on us with high precision into populated areas. Even with the best air defense system in the world that reaches over 80% interception (and sometimes more), a number of missiles *that inevitably* penetrate it may cause great damage due to the incorrect behavior of civilians. 100% interception means being in a protected space. Not a garbage room, not clinging to the door. *Protected space*. If it's hard for you to go down there at night, just sleep there. Yes, your children's lives are worth the inconvenience. If you know a neighbor who doesn't want to go down, go to them *now*, have a cup of coffee and do what you can to convince them that the danger is real, and that their lives are worth more than a few sleepless nights. Do you know elderly people? Mothers with children whose husbands are in the reserves? Offer to help! Manage at the building level who "adopts" a neighbor who needs help getting to a protected space. We have the ability to reduce this terrible number to zero in the coming nights. It depends only on us, and on our ability to change a diskette.

הכותרת הבוקר הייתה יכולה להיות: ״פגיעת טיל בבניין בבת ים. לא דווח על פצועים מלבד מספר נפגעי חרדה״. בבניין הזה קיים מקלט. תקני. פיקוד העורף סיפק לאזרחים שתי התרעות שהיו אמורות לאפשר מספיק זמן לרדת למקלט ולהתארגן בנחת. יש צילומים של המקלט הזה. הוא לא נפגע כלל. ועדיין כל כך הרבה אנשים בחרו שלא לרדת למקלט הזה בלילה. חלקם לפי העדויות לא רצו אפילו לצאת מהבית. זה שורף לי את הלב. ישבתי כל הלילה לצפות בחילוצים. אני לא יודע איך נעשה את זה בסקייל, אבל אנחנו *חייבים* לשנות דיסקט. *חייבים*. זה לא מבצע מול חמאס, אלה לא רקטות. אנחנו ב*מלחמה* מול מדינה שזורקת עלינו מאות קילוגרמים של חומר נפץ בדיוק גבוה לאזורים מיושבים. גם עם מערכת ההגנה האוירית הטובה בעולם שמגיעה למעל 80% יירוט (ולפעמים יותר) מספר טילים *שבהכרח* חודרים אותה עשויים לגרום לנזק גדול בהתנהלות שגויה של אזרחים. 100% יירוט זה להיות במרחב מוגן. לא חדר אשפה, לא להיצמד לדלת. *מרחב מוגן*. אם קשה לכם לרדת לשם בלילה פשוט תישנו שם. כן, החיים של הילדים שלכם שווים את חוסר הנוחות. אם אתם מכירים שכן או שכנה שלא רוצים לרדת, תלכו אליהם *עכשיו*, תכנסו לכוס קפה ותעשו מה שאתם יכולים כדי לשכנע אותם שהסכנה אמיתית, ושהחיים שלהם שווים יותר מכמה לילות ללא שינה. מכירים אנשים מבוגרים? אמהות עם ילדים שהבעל במילואים? תציעו עזרה! תנהלו ברמת הבניין מי ״מאמץ״ שכן או שכנה שצריכים עזרה בהגעה למרחב מוגן. יש לנו את היכולת להוריד את המספר האיום הזה לאפס בלילות הבאים. זה תלוי רק בנו, וביכולת שלנו לשנות דיסקט.

Please note: A woman (Jewish) was killed in Bat Yam, 4 Arabs were murdered.

שימו לב: אישה ( יהודיה) נהרגה בבת ים 4 ערבים נרצחו.

The names of 4 family members who were killed in the Bat Yam attack have been released: Ilya Konstantinovich Peshkurov, 14, Konstantin Pavlovich Tutevich, 10, Olena Petrovna Sokolova, 54, and Anastasia Artemyevna Borik, 7 - who came to Israel for Anastasia's cancer treatments @eli_zil

פורסמו שמות 4 בני משפחה שנהרגו מהפגיעה בבת ים: איליה קונסטנטינוביץ' פשקורוב, בן 14, קונסטנטין פבלוביץ' טוטביץ', בן 10, אולנה פטריבנה סוקולובה, בת 54 ואנסטסיה ארטמיבנה בוריק, בת 7 - שהגיעו לארץ לטיפולים נגד סרטן של אנסטסיה @eli_zil

I can't let this thing go, something here doesn't add up. How many civilians were killed in the missile strike in Bat Yam? The article says 9. The names of: Michael Nachum Meir Voknin Bella Ashkenazi Efrat Saranga - There are 5 Ukrainian citizens without names and 6 more citizens by age: 8, 10, 18 and three more women 60-80. Total 15

אני לא מסוגלת לשחרר את הדבר הזה, משהו פה doesn't add up. כמה אזרחים נהרגו באירוע פגיעת הטיל בבת ים? הכתבה אומרת ש-9. פורסמו שמותיהם של: מיכאל נחום מאיר ווקנין בלה אשכנזי אפרת סרנגה - יש 5 אזרחים אוקראינים ללא שמות ועוד 6 אזרחים לפי גיל: 8, 10, 18 ועוד שלוש נשים 60-80. סה''כ 15

Tragically, more victims have been identified from Iran’s ongoing attacks against innocent Israeli civilians. Nastia Borik, 7, who came to Israel from Ukraine to receive life-saving leukemia treatment, was murdered alongside her mother, grandmother, and two young cousins. Dani Avraham, 59, was a devoted father of two who was always willing to help others. Yaakov and Hadassah Belo, both aged 77, were a beautiful couple dedicated to each other and their family. Igor Fradkin, 50, leaves behind a grieving wife and five children. ⁠Uri Levy, 58, was a kind-hearted and genuine friend to all who knew him. Daisy Yitzhaki, 85, was a beloved pillar of her community. May their memory be a blessing

EXPLAINERUsing open-source intelligence and visual evidence, Al Jazeera’s Sanad unit has mapped key Iranian strikes on Israel from Saturday to Monday.Sirens have continued to sound in cities across Israel as Iranian missiles strike for a sixth consecutive day in response to Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear, military and other sites since Friday. On Wednesday morning, an Iranian missile sparked a fire in central Israel that appeared to have engulfed several cars. Iran’s Fars News Agency says one of the targets was the Meron airbase, which is in northern Israel. Israeli attacks across Iran have killed at least 240 people since Friday while Iranian attacks have killed at least 24 people in Israel. Military censorship during war Israeli media have reported on some strikes across the country that have resulted in varying levels of damage and casualties. However, due to military censorship enforced during wartime, reports on attacks involving sensitive or strategic targets are often restricted or withheld from the public. Using open source intelligence, including publicly circulated images and videos on social media, Israeli media platforms as well as visual identification of destroyed locations in Israeli cities, Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, Sanad, has mapped some of the most significant Iranian attacks on Israel from Saturday to Monday. These sites are shown on the map below: (Al Jazeera) Sensitive locations targeted On Saturday, missiles landed just 300 metres (984ft) from the Israeli Ministry of Defence headquarters (the Kirya) in Tel Aviv.Sign up for Al JazeeraBreaking News AlertGet real-time breaking news alerts and stay up-to-date with the most important headlines from around the globe. This location, often called “Israel’s Pentagon”, is one of the most sensitive and heavily fortified government complexes in Israel, housing key military and intelligence offices. Another strike hit the Weizmann Institute of Science, one of Israel’s leading research centres, located in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv. The institute is reported to have collaborated with the Israeli military, making it a significant target. Tel Aviv metropolitan area Several areas across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area have also come under fire. In Ramat Gan, a city adjacent to Tel Aviv, missiles struck several towers and residential complexes, causing significant damage and forcing evacuations. Local authorities reported that nine buildings were destroyed. Residences were damaged in a missile attack from Iran in Ramat Gan on June 14, 2025 [Yair Palti/Reuters] The nearby city of Petah Tikva, to the east, was also hit by missile strikes that damaged both residential and commercial areas while in Bnei Brak, a religious school was destroyed. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men inspect the damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on June 16, 2025 [John Wessels/AFP] South of Tel Aviv, Bat Yam experienced the highest levels of destruction and casualties in Israel with nine confirmed deaths and about 200 people injured, according to emergency services. In Rishon LeZion, multiple homes were destroyed, adding to the widespread damage across the region. Israeli first responders work in a residential area hit by a missile fired from Iran in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025 [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo] Haifa refinery In northern Israel, Iranian missiles struck Haifa’s Bazan petrochemical complex, the country’s largest oil refinery, forcing a shutdown of operations. Haifa suffered a second missile strike, which hit several residential buildings in the Neve Sha’anan neighbourhood. Smoke billows up from an Iranian missile attack on an oil refinery in Haifa on June 16, 2025 [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo] Tamra In Tamra, a predominantly Palestinian town of 35,000 people in northern Israel, an Iranian missile killed four women from the same family. Like many Palestinian towns in Israel, Tamra lacks adequate bomb shelters. Damaged cars lie amid the rubble of a damaged building in Tamra after an overnight missile attack from Iran on June 15, 2025 [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]

Nastia Burek was just 7. She came to Israel from Ukraine to get life-saving cancer treatment. Instead, she was killed by an Iranian missile in Bat Yam.

Civilians who were inside bomb shelters in the building in Bat Yam that was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile this morning were unharmed, a Home Front Command search and rescue official says. Each floor in the apartment building has a shared safe room for the use of residents of that floor, and the building also has an underground shelter. The missile, which carried a warhead of hundreds of kilograms, struck the building directly, killing at least six people and wounding nearly 200. Seven people are still feared missing. Part of the building collapsed. According to the Home Front Command official, everyone who was in shelters was unharmed, while all of the casualties were outside of the shelters.

Four of the missing have been located in hospitals, there are still three people missing in Bat Yam

94-year-old Balina Ashkenazi has been named as one of the victims of the missile strike in Bat Yam.

A body discovered on Thursday in the rubble of a building hit by an Iranian missile in Bat Yam early Sunday morning has been identified as that of Maria Peshkurova. Peshkurova, 30, was a Ukrainian national and the mother of 7-year-old Nastia Borik, who came to Israel for cancer treatment and was killed in the missile strike along with her grandmother and two cousins. Peshkurova had been missing since the strike and was presumed dead along with her four other family members. The confirmation of her death brought the total of people killed by the missile that hit the high-rise apartment building to 10. Nearly 200 were wounded, rescue services said. Peshkurova came to Israel with Borik in 2022 along with her mother, Lena Peshkurova, 60, and two cousins, Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13, all of whom were killed in the strike. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms According to the Ynet news site, Borik’s father, Artem, is in Ukraine fighting in the war against Russia, and could not accompany his daughter due to a government order barring men under the age of 60 from leaving the country during the conflict. Rescue teams inspect a damaged building following a strike by an Iranian ballistic missile in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025. (Gili Yaari / Flash90) Civilians who were inside bomb shelters in the Bat Yam building were unharmed, a Home Front Command search and rescue official said. Each floor in the apartment building has a shared safe room for the use of residents of that floor, and the building also has an underground shelter. According to the Home Front Command official, everyone who was in shelters was unharmed, while all of the casualties were outside of the shelters. Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in the past week. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multi-tiered air defenses, which detect incoming fire and shoot down missiles heading toward population centers and critical infrastructure. Israeli officials acknowledge the system is imperfect. 7-year-old Nastia Borik. (Courtesy) Last Friday, Israel launched a campaign of airstrikes in Iran to decimate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which Jerusalem characterized as an imminent, existential threat. Iran has responded with deadly barrages of ballistic missiles at civilian population centers and military targets in Israel. Iran, which vows to destroy Israel, has always denied any ambition to develop nuclear weapons, but its enrichment levels go far beyond any civilian application, and the IAEA says it has obstructed inspectors from visiting its nuclear sites. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. Iran has fired over 450 missiles and around 1,000 drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.

This is heart-wrenching. 7-year-old Nastia Borik was killed by an Iranian regime missile strike on Saturday along with 4 other members of her family. The missile directly hit their residential building in Bat Yam. Nastia came to Israel from Ukraine seeking lifesaving treatment for her leukemia. Her father is still in Ukraine, fighting in the war against Russia. This is who the Ayatollah and his murderous regime target. Innocent civilians. May their memories be a blessing. https://timesofisrael.com/one-of-the-victims-in-bat-yam-strike-a-ukrainian-girl-who-came-to-israel-for-cancer-care/…

Israel has recovered the body of Maria Peshkurova, who came to Israel from Ukraine to get life-saving cancer treatment for her 7-year-old daughter, Nastia Borik. Maria, Nastia, and three other family members were murdered in an Iranian missile attack on Sunday. May their memories be a blessing

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsThe family arrived in Israel from Ukraine on a medical tourist visa in December 2022 and became an integral part of the Bat Yam community. Maria Pashkorovia, a Ukrainian citizen living in Bat Yam was killed by an Iranian missile strike.(photo credit: BAT YAM MUNICIPALITY)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJUNE 19, 2025 19:15Updated: JUNE 19, 2025 21:28The remains of the late Maria Pashkorovia, 31, a Bat Yam resident who was killed in an Iranian missile strike in the city, were located after a five-day search on Thursday.The Bat Yam Municipality announced on Thursday that a body was located at the scene of the missile strike in the city and was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.This is the ninth fatality in the event, which became the largest scene of destruction ever in the State of Israel from a missile strike. Home Front Command forces at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and caused damage in Bat Yam, central Israel. June 15, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Daughter was being treated for cancerPashkorovia lived on Jerusalem Street in the city with her mother, Olena Sokolva, and her daughter Anastasia (Nastia) Borik, 8, a student at the city's Gordon School, who was being treated at Sheba Hospital as an oncology patient. Two of Olena's grandchildren also lived with them – 14-year-old Ilia Pashkorov and nine-year-old Konstantin Totavich.The family arrived in Israel from Odessa, Ukraine, in December 2022 as part of Nastia's cancer treatment; they are not Jewish, nor did they have any previous connection to Israel.President Isaac Herzog offered his condolences to Artem Borik, Nastia's father, and condemned the intentional firing of ballistic missiles into civilian apartments. "The world must condemn Iran’s indefensible crimes — and stand with Israel against Tehran's Empire of Evil."RECOMMENDED STORIESKiss cam gone wrong: AI CEO caught in affair with HR chief at Coldplay concertJULY 18, 2025Melanie Shiraz wins Miss Universe Israel 2025 crown, vows to use platform for meaningful changeJULY 19, 2025Huckabee threatens reciprocal visa measures over Israel's restrictions on evangelical groupsJULY 18, 2025Israel adopts superpower mindset in Middle East as it upgrades war doctrineJULY 18, 2025Top StoriesWhy IDF avoided Hamas's Deir al-Balah stronghold until nowANALYSISWorld powers call on Israel to end war in GazaProbe: Settlers not behind ancient West Bank church fireREPORT

Israel Mourns Ukrainian Family Killed by Iranian Missile Among the victims was 8-year-old Nastya Burik, who had come to Israel for leukemia treatment. Also killed were her 30-year-old mother Maria Peshkureva, 54-year-old grandmother Olena Sokolova, and two cousins — 14-year-old Illia Peshkurev and 10-year-old Kostiantyn Tutevych. Nastya’s father, Artem Burik, has been serving in the Ukrainian army since 2022.

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsBorik's mother, 30-year-old Maria Pashkorovia, is one of the handful of Israelis still considered missing following the Iranian attack on a Bat Yam residential building. Home Front Command forces at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and caused damage in Bat Yam, central Israel. June 15, 2025.(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, YUVAL BARNEAJUNE 18, 2025 17:36Updated: JUNE 18, 2025 18:30Seven-year-old Leukemia patient Anastasia (Nastia) Borik, a Ukrainian citizen, was named on Wednesday as one of the victims of a direct hit on her Bat Yam home by an Iranian ballistic missile, Israeli media reported.Borik was killed alongside three of her family members - Her grandmother, 54-year-old Olena Sokolva, and her two older cousins, 14-year-old Ilia Pashkorov and nine-year-old Konstantin Totavich.Borik's mother, 30-year-old Maria Pashkorovia, is one of the handful of Israelis still considered missing following the Iranian attack on a Bat Yam residential building on Saturday night that killed at least nine.According to Israeli media, the seven-year-old arrived with her family from Ukraine two years ago in order to receive treatment for her condition. The family arrived in Israel from Odessa in December 2022 as part of Nastia's treatment; they are not Jewish, nor did they have any previous connection to Israel. A Ukrainian serviceman shows President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a national flag with an emblem of the Special Operations Forces at a petrol station, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 29, 2023. (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)Father, the only family member to survive, fighting in UkraineThe decision to come to a foreign country for treatment was not easy, as the family left Nastia's father, Artem, in Ukraine due to the country's wartime restriction on men leaving the country.Artem Borik is currently on the frontlines fighting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Ukrainian sources disagree as to exactly which unit Artem is currently fighting in; however, both units are considered elite special forces units involved in raiding Russian forces in occupied Ukraine.The Ukrainian Embassy is currently arranging for the repatriation of all the bodies to Ukraine.The Ukrainian Embassy has announced it will be arranging the return of Ukrainian citizens and permanent residents who request to return to Ukraine.Currently, around 23,000 Ukrainian citizens live in Israel, around half of whom arrived after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.President Isaac Herzog offered his condolences to her father and condemned the intentional firing of ballistic missiles into civilian apartments. "The world must condemn Iran’s indefensible crimes — and stand with Israel against Tehran's Empire of Evil."RECOMMENDED STORIESKiss cam gone wrong: AI CEO caught in affair with HR chief at Coldplay concertJULY 18, 2025Melanie Shiraz wins Miss Universe Israel 2025 crown, vows to use platform for meaningful changeJULY 19, 2025Huckabee threatens reciprocal visa measures over Israel's restrictions on evangelical groupsJULY 18, 2025Israel adopts superpower mindset in Middle East as it upgrades war doctrineJULY 18, 2025Top StoriesWhy IDF avoided Hamas's Deir al-Balah stronghold until nowANALYSISWorld powers call on Israel to end war in GazaProbe: Settlers not behind ancient West Bank church fireREPORT

Seven-year-old Ukrainian girl, Nastia Borik, came to Israel from Odessa to receive life-saving treatment at one Israel's best hospitals. She came seeking life. Instead, she was murdered — along with her mother Maria, her young cousins Konstantin and Ilya, and her grandmother Lena — by a murderous Iranian missile that struck a residential building in Bat Yam. They were civilians. Refugees. A family clinging to hope. Burned alive by the Ayatollahs’ missiles — fired deliberately at innocent people. We mourn with Nastia’s father, and with all who loved and knew them. The world must condemn Iran’s indefensible crimes — and stand with Israel against Tehran's Empire of Evil.

Maria Pashkurova came to Israel from Ukraine to seek cancer treatment for her daughter and was killed alongside her entire family; her husband, a Ukrainian soldier, remains unable to leave the warfrontFour and a half days after a deadly missile strike destroyed an apartment building in Bat Yam, rescue crews on Thursday evening recovered the body of Maria Pashkurova from beneath the rubble. The 31-year-old Ukrainian woman was the ninth confirmed fatality in the attack.Pashkurova lived on Jerusalem Street in Bat Yam with her 8-year-old daughter Anastasia (Nastya) Burik, her mother Yelena (Olena) Sokolova and two other children—Konstantin Totvits, 10, and Ilya Peshkoryov, 15. All were killed in the strike, which Iran has claimed responsibility for.4 View gallery Maria Pashkurova The family had come to Israel from Odesa, Ukraine, in December 2022 on a medical tourism visa to treat Nastya, who was battling leukemia. After initially overcoming the disease, it returned and a bone marrow transplant failed to stop it.Nastya's father, Artem Burik, is a Ukrainian soldier currently serving on the front lines against Russia and was unable to leave the country due to wartime restrictions on men under 60. He had raised money for his daughter's treatment in Israel, with local volunteers helping to gather half of the $100,000 needed for her care.4 View gallery Maria, Nastya and Artem 4 View gallery Nastya in the hospital4 View gallery Nastya and Maria in the hospital“I spoke with Nastya just hours before she died,” Burik said from Ukraine. “She told me she saw missile interceptions over the house and was frightened. I can’t grasp this tragedy. My family fled war in Ukraine and died in Israel. It’s unbearable. I hope I can stay sane through this. I don’t know how I’ll get through it.”Burik expressed gratitude to the Israeli doctors who treated his daughter. “She had complications, and my little girl survived six surgeries,” he said.

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA family of five Ukrainians was killed by an Iranian missile strike in Israel, in a tragic intersection of two wars.Rescue workers searching for trapped residents after an Iranian missile barrage hit buildings in Bat Yam, Israel, this month.Credit...Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York TimesPublished June 26, 2025Updated June 29, 2025For this Ukrainian family, Israel meant rescue from war.To Mariia Pieshkurova, it was where her 7-year-old daughter, Anastasiia, could get lifesaving treatment for advanced leukemia, care hard to find during the war in Ukraine. To Anastasiia’s young cousins, Kostiantyn and Illia, Israel offered a refuge from the Russian drones and missiles that pounded Ukraine nightly.So the family — Mariia, the three children and their grandmother — had settled in Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv.In the end, war caught up with them.On June 15, an Iranian missile strike on a residential building in Bat Yam killed all five family members, as Israel and Iran engaged in escalating air assaults. The news reverberated through Ukraine, stirring grief and outrage.The deaths are an intersection, in human terms, of two wars until now connected mostly by geopolitics and arms deals. Iran was a key supplier of attack drones to Russia in the first year of its Ukraine invasion, and Moscow has long backed Tehran’s regime.Beyond geopolitics, the deaths carried a cruel irony. The family was killed by war in the very country they believed would shield them from it, with its powerful air defense system that Ukraine has long envied.“I really thought they’d be safe,” said Artem Buryk, Anastasiia’s father and Mariia’s ex-partner. “I never thought they’d go to Israel to escape war — and find it there.”Clockwise from top left: Anastasiia and her mother, Mariia Pieshkurova; Anastasiia’s grandmother, Olena Sokolova; Anastasiia’s cousin Illia; and her cousin Kostiantyn.Credit...via Khrystyna ChanyshevaWant to stay updated on what’s happening in Iran, Israel and Ukraine? , and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.Mr. Buryk, who volunteered for the Ukrainian Army to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion more than three years ago, hoped, like many other Ukrainians, to keep war from reaching his family.Mr. Buryk, 39, said he learned of his daughter’s death the day she died, after returning from the front lines near Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, a current focal point of fighting. “I still don’t understand what’s happening,” he said in a phone interview last week. “I still can’t believe it.”When war broke out in early 2022, Anastasiia and her mother, Ms. Pieshkurova, were living in Odesa, Ukraine’s main port on the Black Sea. Despite the fighting, they tried to live as normally as possible. Anastasiia rode her scooter through the streets, wore a red striped Minnie Mouse top in the summer heat, and celebrated her fifth birthday on Odesa’s terraces, as shown on Instagram posts by her mother.Later that summer, Anastasiia began running a fever, her father said. Doctors soon diagnosed her with leukemia. When her father visited her in the Odesa hospital in early September, taking leave from the army, she sat in bed wearing his military cap and flashed a victory sign with her fingers.Her condition worsened.Mr. Buryk said there had been some discussion of transferring Anastasiia to Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, which was later destroyed by a Russian missile. But cancer treatment in Ukraine had been scaled back as hospitals filled with war casualties. The family chose Israel, hoping its advanced care could save Anastasiia.ImageVolunteers, rescue workers and staff from the Okhmadyt Children’s Hospital clearing rubble and searching for survivors after a Russian missile strike hit the medical center in July 2024.Credit...Brendan Hoffman for The New York TimesAnastasiia, her mother and her grandmother, Olena Sokolova, moved to Israel in December 2022 and settled in Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv with a large community of immigrants from former Soviet countries. They were among the 20,000 or so Ukrainians who found refuge in Israel during the war, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk.Treatment began immediately and was crushingly expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ms. Pieshkurova, Anastasiia’s mother, turned to social media for financial help, posting photos of her pale, often bald daughter in her hospital bed. At times, she shared videos of Anastasiia’s father, in full military gear, pleading for support during short breaks from the front.“Masha did everything for her little girl,” said Khrystyna Chanysheva, Anastasiia’s godmother, using a diminutive for Ms. Pieshkurova. “She dedicated her life to her, moved to Israel to get her full treatment.”The treatment was painful, but charity workers who helped the family in Israel said Anastasiia held on. “Every time I walked into her room, she would smile,” said Lada Fichkovsi, who helped care for Anastasiia. “She was in pain, and she would close her eyes for a second.”In May last year, Anastasiia’s spirits were lifted by the arrival of her two cousins — Illia, 14, and Kostiantyn, 10. Their home city of Odesa, which had been relatively spared in the early months of Russia’s invasion, was under near-daily attack.“Because of the shelling, my children were crying and I decided to let them go,” said Hanna Pieshkurova, Mariia Pieshkurova’s sister.ImageA memorial honoring those who were killed during a Russian drone attack on Odesa, Ukraine, in March 2024.Credit...Oksana Parafeniuk for The New York TimesBy then, Israel’s war with Hamas had been raging for months, and the Palestinian armed group was regularly launching rockets into Israeli cities. Ms. Pieshkurova said her sister reassured her that air raid sirens in Bat Yam had sounded only once or twice at most. “It’s quiet, calm and there are safer bomb shelters there,” she recalled being told.What’s more, Israel had the Iron Dome defense system, capable of intercepting many rockets and missiles, and long admired by Ukraine as a model for defending against Russian attacks.“Ukrainians often say, ‘This is not Ukraine, it’s not as scary,’” said Inna Bakhareva, who runs Chance4Life, a charity supporting seriously ill children and their families, primarily from the former Soviet bloc, during treatment in Israeli hospitals.“They felt secure due to the Iron Dome; they believed it wasn’t as dangerous here,” Ms. Bakhareva said.After Israel launched a large-scale surprise air assault on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a barrage of missiles, war was impossible to ignore.“Dad, at night I saw how the missiles were falling,” Anastasiia said in a voice message to her father late on June 14, shortly before her death.The next morning, she and her mother were scheduled to go to the hospital to decide the next phase of her cancer treatment.They never made it. An Iranian missile struck their multistory building early on June 15, reducing much of it to rubble. The damage was so devastating that it took four days to retrieve and identify the body of Anastasiia’s mother.Hanna Pieshkurova has lost nearly her entire family — her mother, her two children and her sister. Mr. Buryk lost his former partner and his only child.“Every time I talked to her, I’d say, ‘Sweetheart, we’ll go fishing. Just us,’” he said last week. “That’s all — fishing, fishing, fishing. And now I just don’t understand. I still don’t even grasp that she’s gone. Last night, I sent her voice messages.”ImageRescue workers searching for people trapped in a damaged building in Bat Yam, Israel.Credit...Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York TimesConstant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people.A version of this article appears in print on June 27, 2025, Section A, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: A Refuge From War Became a Killing Field For 5 in a Ukraine Family. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | SubscribeRelated ContentAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT

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Killed in Bat Yam: Ukrainian girl from Odessa came to Israel for cancer treatment; Her father stayed in Ukraine to fight in its war, and grandmother Lena and her two other grandchildren - Konstantin, 9, and Ilya, 13, were killed with Nastia; Search continues in rubble for body of her mother, Maria Seven-year-old Nastia Borik had been undergoing treatment in Israel for leukemia. She was killed in the missile strike along with her mother, Maria Peshkurova, 30; her grandmother, Lena Peshkurova, 60; and two of her young cousins, Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13. The two boys, who were Maria’s nephews on her mother’s side, attended local schools in Bat Yam.2 View gallery Nastia gets treatment for cancer in IsraelThe family, who are not Jewish, arrived in Israel in December 2022 to support Nastia through her cancer treatment. Although she initially responded, the disease returned and a bone marrow transplant failed to stop the aggressive leukemia.Nastia’s father, Artem Borik, serves in the Ukrainian army’s Storm Brigade on the front line against Russia. He and Lena’s husband were unable to travel to Israel due to Ukraine’s restriction on men under 60 leaving the country due to the war. Artem had raised funds in Ukraine for his daughter’s medical care. Lena had come to Israel to assist her daughter, Maria, bringing the two nephews with her. All five were killed in the strike.The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel is working to arrange the repatriation of the bodies, but with Israeli airspace still closed, transport remains technically impossible. “They were Ukrainian citizens from Odessa who came to care for their daughter in Israel. There is a shared fate between Ukrainians and Israelis,” said historian and journalist Shimon Briman.The Ukrainian Embassy said in a statement: “On June 14, five Ukrainian citizens, including three minors, were killed in a massive Iranian missile strike on Israel, when a missile hit a residential building in Bat Yam. Ukrainian diplomats and consular staff are in close contact with the Israel Police and other services to identify and arrange the repatriation of the victims’ bodies.”2 View gallery The building in Bat Yam hit by an Iranian ballistic missile(Photo: Ziv Koren)Rachel and Bat-El, two sisters who lived in the building, recounted the terrifying moment the missile struck. “We were in bed when it happened. We don’t have a reinforced room or a shelter,” Bat-El told Ynet. “There was a loud boom, we saw a flash from the missile and heavy smoke. Glass was everywhere, the windows shattered, the door blew off. We ran out and hid in the parking lot across the street.”

With the reopening of schools in Bat Yam, a memorial stand was set up at Gordon School in memory of two students, Anastasia (Nastya) Burik and Konstantin Tutevich, who were killed by an Iranian missile strike in the city.

Avec la réouverture des établissements scolaires de Bat Yam, un stand commémoratif a été installé à l'école Gordon en mémoire des deux élèves Anastasia (Nastya) Burik et Konstantin Tutevich, tués par un missile iranien dans la ville.

In the city of Bat Yam, at the site of the fall of the Iranian rocket, a farewell ceremony was held for five citizens of Ukraine, members of the same family, who died at the hands of the terrorist Iranian regime: - Nastya Buryk, 8 years old, came to Israel for leukemia treatment - Maria Peshkureva, 30 years old, Nastya's mother - Olena Sokolova, 54 years old, Nastya's grandmother - Ilya Peshkurev, 14 years old, cousin of Nastya - Konstantin Tutevich, 10 years old, Nastya's cousin. Eternal memory to the innocent victims of military crimes of the Tehran regime.

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsAddressed by representatives of the Ukrainian mission to Israel as well as Bat Yam mayor Zvika Brut, mourners viewed the five coffins on display in front of the crash site. Bat Yam municipality held a memorial ceremony for a family of five Ukrainians, slain by an Iranian ballistic missile on June 30, 2025.(photo credit: CHEN SCHIMMEL)ByJOANIE MARGULIESJUNE 30, 2025 16:33Updated: JUNE 30, 2025 19:29The Bat Yam Municipality held a memorial ceremony on Monday for a family of five Ukrainians who were killed by a ballistic missile fired by Iran on June 15.The missile hit Bat Yam and caused widespread destruction, several fatalities, including children, many wounded, and some missing people.The attendees viewed the five coffins on display in front of the crash site. The three child-sized and two adult-sized coffins were covered in Israeli flags and several wreaths.They contained the bodies of Anastasia Burik, eight; her mother, Olena Sokolova; Konstantin Tutevich, 10; Ilya Pashkurov, 15; and Maria Pashkurova, who were killed by the ballistic missile after midnight between Saturday and Sunday on June 15.Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brut and representatives of the Ukrainian mission to Israel spoke at the ceremony.Lyudmila Yasinska-Damri, a Ukrainian-Israeli professor and the host of the memorial, told the attendees: “Anastasia, a brave girl, came to Israel from Ukraine to receive medical treatment. On that tragic night, a ballistic missile launched from Iran directly hit the residential building where she and her family lived. The impact was severe, and they were killed on the spot, as their home became a place of pain and loss.”Memorial attended by Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of UkraineTheir deaths left the Bat Yam community and the entire State of Israel in shock, she said.Local politicians and community leaders, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel Gennady Barskalenko, and Sergey Sambatorsky, a Ukrainian military attaché, attended the ceremony.“This is the biggest disaster that Bat Yam has ever had in nearly 100 years. Nine people died on the same day,” Brut told The Jerusalem Post after the ceremony.“We saw that our enemies were specifically aiming at the civilian population,” he said. “In this disaster, we had nine fatalities, including three children, a Holocaust survivor, and other citizens.”“To our enemies, it doesn't matter who was hit, just as long as they were Jews or Israelis,” he added. “This is why we decided that we will rebuild this building [that suffered the direct hit] taller and stronger, and we will fill it with more Israelis than ever.”There are no secret military buildings in Bat Yam and its surrounding areas, Brut said.“They knew that Bat Yam was only a civilian city,” he said. “There is no military presence around us, so we know that they just wanted to kill as many people as they could,” he told the Post.“They may have destroyed a few buildings, but they cannot destroy our spirit,” Brut said. “These buildings will be fixed as soon as possible [and] filled with more Israelis.”RECOMMENDED STORIESKiss cam gone wrong: AI CEO caught in affair with HR chief at Coldplay concertJULY 18, 2025Melanie Shiraz wins Miss Universe Israel 2025 crown, vows to use platform for meaningful changeJULY 19, 2025Huckabee threatens reciprocal visa measures over Israel's restrictions on evangelical groupsJULY 18, 2025Israel adopts superpower mindset in Middle East as it upgrades war doctrineJULY 18, 2025Top StoriesIsraelis stranded on Greek ferry amid pro-Palestine protestIRGC warns Iranian citizens of growing Mossad recruitment Live Updates: IDF intercepts Houthi missile from YemenREPORT

By Charlie Summers You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page 16 June 2025, 10:48 am Belina Ashkenazi, 94, is named as one of the nine people killed in an Iranian ballistic missile impact on a Bat Yam apartment building overnight Saturday-Sunday. She is the second victim of the deadly strike to be identified. Yesterday evening, 44-year-old Efrat Saranga was named as another victim in the attack. Ashkenazi’s husband and son were also hospitalized as a result of the attack, according to Ynet. The missile impact also killed an 8-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and an 18-year-old boy. Nearly 200 were wounded, rescue services said. According to Ukraine, five of its nationals were killed in the attack, including three children. Rescuers say one person buried under the rubble remains missing. You appreciate our journalism We’re really pleased that you’ve read 10 Times of Israel articles in the past month. You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context. Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7. So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community.

An elderly Israeli woman of Bulgarian descent was killed in an Iranian attack on a residential building in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, according to BNR’s correspondents in Israel, Fenya and Iskra Dekalo. Although the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet confirmed the information, it has been reported by Israeli print media and broadcast on ILTV.Relatives have confirmed that Belina (Bela) Ashkenazi, aged 94, was among those killed in the rocket attack on the 14-storey building. She was the wife of Haim Ashkenazi, the longtime director of the Bulgarian Club in Bat Yam.ILTV aired a snapshot of the 94-year-old woman.Due to mobility issues, the Ashkenazis were unable to reach the basement shelter. According to their granddaughter Boena, their son and personal assistant remained with them during the attack.Haim Ashkenazi and the son are currently in hospital and unable to comment.Editor: Miglena IvanovaPosted in English by E. Radkova Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня! Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

Efrat Saranga OBMCourtesy of the familyThe Bat Yam municipality announced on Sunday evening that Efrat Saranga, a 44-year-old resident of the city, was among those murdered early in the morning when an Iranian missile struck her building.Efrat was married to Ofir for the past eight years. She was the oldest of three children and did not have any children herself.A total of seven people were murdered in the missile strike, including a 10-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl.

The Bat Yam municipality confirmed Sunday that Efrat Saranga, 44, a resident of the city, was among those killed in an overnight Iranian missile strike. Authorities have not yet released the names of the five other victims pending official notification and clearance.The evacuation of residents from the affected area continued well into Sunday morning. Only by midday was one of the victims formally identified, while Home Front Command teams kept searching the site for three missing persons.4 View gallery Efrat Saranga (Photo: Bat Yam Municipality)At the reception center set up near the site, evacuees gathered, struggling to process the scale of destruction and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that accompanied it. Six people were killed in the direct hit on a residential high-rise in Bat Yam. The Iranian missile strike claimed the lives of a 10-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man, Saranga and two other women in their 60s and 80s. More than 100 others were injured. Numerous surrounding buildings were also damaged.Rachel and Batel, two sisters who lived together in the damaged building, were asleep in bed when the missile struck. “We were in bed when it happened; we have no safe room or shelter,” Batel told Ynet. “We heard a loud blast, saw a bright flash from the falling missile and smoke everywhere. There was glass all over, all the windows shattered, the door broke. We fled the apartment and ran to a nearby parking lot to find shelter.”The sisters stayed near the destroyed building throughout the night, waiting for information. “We haven’t slept; we waited by the ruins for someone to tell us what to do. Now we’ve come to the center for evacuees from the buildings, registered and are waiting for someone to contact us. We are in total shock, unable to process this.” liveThe moment the missile struck in Bat Yam (Video: Yinon Halimi)4 View gallery The damage (Photo: Lihi Gordon)Tzur arrived at the reception center together with his daughter Camila and her partner Roy. “Our apartment is totally destroyed. There’s nothing left, everything collapsed. We were on the top floor — the entire roof caved in, all the walls crumbled,” Tzur described. “Luckily, we weren’t home.”The family returned to the apartment in the morning to assess the damage, only to be horrified. Camila said, “We went to see what happened. It’s shocking — there’s nothing left to see: no ceiling, no floor, no living room, no apartment. We wanted to rescue some belongings, to take something, but there was nothing left.”The only item they managed to retrieve was a nearly symbolic possession — a painting Roy had made himself. “We managed to take one painting and a few pairs of shoes — that’s it,” he said. Like many others, they now await guidance on what to do next: “We were supposed to go to work, to school — everything has stopped. We don’t know how to move forward from here.”More than half a day after the missile struck the six-story building in central Bat Yam, three people are still unaccounted for. Home Front Command rescue teams are leading the search-and-rescue operation under the building’s ruins, parts of which have collapsed. The greatest fear is that the missing may be trapped beneath the rubble. Yet residents continue to hope for miracles, as survivors have been pulled from wreckage in past disasters against all odds.4 View gallery (Photo: Lihi Gordon)The search is being conducted under hazardous conditions, as rescuers work beneath hanging concrete beams that could collapse at any moment. The teams are using technological equipment to locate possible survivors while carefully employing heavy machinery in hopes of finding trapped victims alive.So far, about 900 people have arrived at the assistance center set up by Bat Yam Municipality at Nachshonim School, seeking aid — including those whose homes were destroyed, others needing guidance for dealing with the authorities, and individuals suffering from shock who simply needed someone to talk to. Approximately 600 families have sought assistance, with half of them relocated to hotels. Many residents of the building that took the direct hit, along with residents of surrounding heavily damaged buildings, were evacuated to hotels as their apartments were rendered uninhabitable.Mayor Tzvika Brot, who arrived at the scene shortly after the strike, is closely overseeing the search for the missing. “About 300 families have been relocated to four hotels: Roxon in Bat Yam, Seven TLV, Leonardo Boutique and Leonardo Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv,” the mayor reported.4 View gallery Where evacuated families are diverted to (Photo: Lihi Gordon)Regarding the injured, Brot added: “20 patients remain hospitalized at Wolfson Medical Center. The others who were hospitalized have been discharged. The operation is still ongoing, and there are no final figures yet. People continue to arrive at the family assistance center for help.”

Miro Vaknin, 56, was killed on Saturday night in Bat Yam by an Iranian missile. He leaves behind a wife, two sons, and a daughter.During our condolence visit, we met his sister Orna—a trauma therapist at Sheba Hospital—who shared stories about Miro’s life. She described him as a man of deep kindness, always helping others, endlessly optimistic, and constantly smiling.They told us he used to stop strangers in the street just to warn them if their shoelace was untied—worried they might trip and fall.Orna and Miro were not only close in age but also deeply connected in spirit. On the night the missile hit, before any phone call arrived, Orna already felt that Miro was gone.May his memory be a blessing.

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsThe mayor of Bat Yam confirmed that the tefillin were found in good condition, with a few small tears. The tefillin of Michael (Miki) Nahum, a 61-year-old father of four who was killed when an Iranian missile struck his apartment building last week, have been located and returned to his daughters(photo credit: Courtesy)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJUNE 27, 2025 13:04Updated: JUNE 28, 2025 20:28The tefillin of Michael (Miki) Nahum, a 61-year-old father of four who was killed when an Iranian missile struck his apartment building in Bat Yam last week, have been located and returned to his daughters, Mayor Tzvika Brot has announced.Brot said that he spoke to Nahum’s daughters to personally let them know that the tefillin were found in good condition.“There are some small tears on the bag, but the tefillin are whole,” he said. “They will be able to bring strength to the daughters in their unimaginably difficult time.”Brot thanked the men and women of the Home Front Command’s national rescue unit, “who are doing everything they can to rescue whatever is possible from the ruins and to honor the memory of the victims.”Thousands injured, 28 killed in Operation Rising LionThe Israeli healthcare system reported that 3,343 people were hospitalized from the start of Operation Rising Lion on June 13 until the ceasefire was declared on Tuesday. Twenty-eight people were killed, including four children. View of destruction in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam a few days after it was hit by a ballistic missile fired from Iran into Israel. June 24, 2025. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)During the fighting, 11,070 civilians were evacuated from their homes and housed in 97 reception sites across the country. Seventeen local authorities were forced to evacuate the local populations due to direct impacts on homes.The Health Ministry deployed approximately 80 medical staff to make daily visits to the absorption sites to identify health needs. Emotional support was provided by about 100 therapists from the National Resilience Center.RECOMMENDED STORIESKiss cam gone wrong: AI CEO caught in affair with HR chief at Coldplay concertJULY 18, 2025Melanie Shiraz wins Miss Universe Israel 2025 crown, vows to use platform for meaningful changeJULY 19, 2025Huckabee threatens reciprocal visa measures over Israel's restrictions on evangelical groupsJULY 18, 2025Israel adopts superpower mindset in Middle East as it upgrades war doctrineJULY 18, 2025Top StoriesLive Updates: Steve Witkoff to fly to Rome for Gaza talksANALYSISREPORTIsraeli PM: Milwidsky to be new finance c'mttee headArtillery misfire hit Gaza church, Israeli military says

i24NEWSIsraelDefense News10 killed, including two children, in overnight Iranian missile strikesSix dead and several still missing or trapped after missile strike in Bat Yam; family of four killed in Tamra attacki24NEWSJune 15, 2025 at 06:43 AMlatest revision June 15, 2025 at 10:28 AMIsraeli rescue workers at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran caused damage in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025. Chaim Goldberg/Flash90Recommended -Israel continues to recover from one of the deadliest escalations in its ongoing conflict with Iran after an unprecedented overnight missile barrage left at least 10 people dead, including two children, and hundreds wounded. Rescue operations remain underway, with emergency services still searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.The heaviest damage occurred in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, where a residential building suffered a direct hit from an Iranian missile carrying heavy explosives. Six people, including two children, were killed instantly. In the immediate aftermath, at least seven people were reported missing. However, emergency services have since located four of the missing individuals alive and receiving treatment in hospitals, reducing the number of missing persons to three.Rescue teams from the Home Front Command continue complex operations at the Bat Yam site, where portions of the building remain dangerously unstable. Large sections of the structure are partially suspended, threatening the safety of both those trapped and the rescuers. According to authorities, the projectile that struck Bat Yam was not a new model but part of a salvo of known long-range heavy munitions, each containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives.The site of the Iranian missile fall in Bat YamHaim Goldberg / Flash 90The building that was hit also housed a command center and shelter on the ground floor, though most of those located on the upper floors managed to escape unharmed. Victims were primarily found in unprotected areas of the structure.In a separate strike in northern Israel, an Iranian missile hit a home in Tamra, killing four members of the same family and injuring 20 others. The attacks mark one of the most devastating nights in Israel since the beginning of the conflict.Meanwhile, further south, Home Front Command rescue teams managed to pull a Holocaust survivor from the rubble of a damaged building in Rehovot. His son, present at the scene, embraced the rescue teams and thanked them for saving his father’s life. Nearby, the Weizmann Institute also sustained damage, with fires breaking out in some laboratories following another missile strike.Residential building struck by missile on 15.6.2025 in Bat Yam, south of Tel AvivMDAThe Iranian barrage, launched in response to Israeli airstrikes on Tehran's nuclear infrastructure, included not only missiles but also reports of drone activity and launches from additional regional actors, including Yemen. Israel continues to face simultaneous threats across multiple fronts.As the situation remains volatile, Israeli defense forces remain on high alert for further escalation while search and rescue teams continue their dangerous work in hopes of locating the remaining missing individuals.

The Iranian missile strike on Bat Yam killed 8 people, including 90-year-old Bella Ashkenazi, two fathers, and four members of a Ukrainian family; Survivors, some still missing loved ones, recount how a single missile turned multiple families’ lives into tragedyAmong the dead was 90-year-old Bella Ashkenazi. Her granddaughter, Shani Boana, who was sitting in a shelter in nearby Netanya during the attack, recognized her grandparents' scorched building on television footage. In that instant, dread took hold. Soon after, her fears were confirmed: her grandfather and uncle had been wounded by shrapnel but survived, while her grandmother was killed instantly.3 View gallery Shani Boana and her late grandmother Bella (Photo: Private album)Shani described the horrifying hours that followed. “I had a bad feeling that night,” she said. “Even before the sirens, I brought our passports into the safe room. Around 3:30 a.m., after the launches, I saw the reports and immediately recognized the building.” After a panicked call from the caregiver who lived with her grandparents — screaming that “everyone is dead” — the family learned that Bella's husband, Haim Ashkenazi, 100, and their son had been evacuated to the hospital in light condition, but Bella had not survived.The couple’s apartment lacked a protected room. Though the building had a communal shelter, Bella, bedridden with dementia, could not be moved. Her husband used a walker. Their son, unwilling to abandon his parents, stayed with them as the missile struck.Bella, a seamstress by trade, was remembered as endlessly kind, full of humor and deeply devoted to her family. Her daughter Aviva called her “a remarkable woman who gave everything to others,” while Shani recalled a grandmother who never tired of making clothes for her, even as her health declined. “We knew her time was nearing because of her illness,” Shani said, “but none of us imagined it would end this way.”3 View gallery 'We don’t know how to break it to him', Bella and her husband Haim (Photo: Private album)The death toll in Bat Yam continued to rise throughout the day. Among the victims were Michael (Miki) Nahum, 61, a father of four, and Meir (Miro) Vaknin, 53, a father of three — both residents of the same building. The two men were killed when the missile struck directly, causing the building’s partial collapse.Tragedy also struck a Ukrainian family that had recently arrived in Israel for medical treatment. Four members of the family — a grandmother in her 50s and her three grandchildren, aged 8, 10, and 15 — were killed in the blast. The children's mother, 31, who is also the daughter of the deceased grandmother and mother of the 8-year-old, remains missing, with search efforts ongoing. The two older children had come to Israel without their own mother, who had stayed behind in Ukraine. The family had sought refuge from one war zone, only to become victims of another.3 View gallery Michael Nahum, Bella Ashkenazi, Efrat Saranga and Meir (Miro) Vaknin (Photo: Courtesy of the families)Following the attack, Ukraine confirmed that five of the casualties were its citizens. Kyiv’s Foreign Ministry announced that it is working with Israeli authorities to arrange for the return of the bodies, while the fifth Ukrainian citizen remains officially listed as missing.Elsewhere that same night, the Iranian missile strikes also claimed the life of 75-year-old Avraham Cohen in Bnei Brak, after a direct hit on a residential building in the city.

Missiles, drones, terror from the skies, over 250 injured in Bat Yam alone. 20 are still missing. 4 killed, including 2 children, just 10 and 13 years old. They’ve rescued children from rubble. Treated over 4,000 emergencies. https://israelrescue.org/campaign/operation-rising-lion/…

6 people were killed in Bat Yam last night, including a 4 year old girl and a 10 year old boy. At least 7 more people are missing in the rubble. Another 200 were wounded in direct hits across the country. We are alone but resolved to take on this evil. Send love and prayers.

A direct missile strike in Bat Yam has resulted in a mass casualty event. Wolfson Medical Center has issued an emergency directive, declaring it is operating in “emergency mode” and is unable to receive walk-in patients except in life-threatening cases, due to overwhelming congestion. At least 60 injured individuals have been evacuated to Wolfson, while 25 others, including an infant, have been taken to Ichilov Hospital. The attack caused a structural collapse, with three confirmed fatalities, including a child. According to the IDF Home Front Command, an estimated 35 individuals remain unaccounted for under the debris. Emergency responders are conducting search-and-rescue operations at the site. Authorities are urging the public to avoid hospital visits unless necessary, as emergency infrastructure is under strain.

At 90 years of age, Holocaust survivor Belina Ashkenazi was one of the ten victims killed by Iran’s missile attack in Bat Yam on June 14. She and her husband, Chaim Ashkenazi, also a survivor, could not reach shelter in time. Thankfully, Chaim, who is 100 years old, survived and has been moved to a nursing home close to their daughter.Holocaust survivor Yvette Shmilovitz z’l was identified as the fourth victim in Petach Tikva after her home sustained a direct missile strike during the night of June 15 – 16. Her three granddaughters and four great-grandchildren survive her.Belina was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and during the Holocaust was expelled from her hometown and forced to live in the Kyustendil ghetto. Belina and Chaim raised three children and were blessed with five grandchildren.Born in Galati, Romania, Yvette and her family were restricted to living in the Galati ghetto from June 1941 to August 1944. Thrown out of their home and schools, they were forced to clean the streets and wear the yellow star. At 95 years old, Yvette had been living alone since the passing of her husband several years ago, followed by the death of her only daughter. A chemist by profession and a high school teacher, she remained sharp until her final days. Belina and Yvette's deaths are both tragedies. They, like many Holocaust survivors, faced unthinkable horrors as children. The Claims Conference keeps the welfare of Holocaust survivors at the forefront of our thoughts, and we are working to respond to and assess the changing needs of both survivors and our partners organizations in Israel.Across Israel, we pray for peace and security for our coworkers, friends, and families, and remind survivors that they are not alone. If you or a survivor you know needs additional support during these times, please reach out to the Claims Conference help center: www.claimscon.org/survivor-services/helpcenters#VanishingWitnesses #RememberThis #PartnersInCare

ISTANBULIranian missiles have struck multiple locations in central and northern Israel, killing eight people and injuring 208 others, Israeli media reported on early Sunday.Around 50 rockets were fired at central Israel in the latest wave of Iranian attacks, according to Israeli Channel 12.The rockets landed in the Bat Yam and Rehovot areas near Tel Aviv in central Israel, killing four people, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported.Channel 12 reported that the attacks also left 195 people injured, five of them in critical condition.It said that approximately 35 people were missing after a missile hit a building in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.The Maariv newspaper said that six sites were directly hit by Iranian missiles.Media reports indicate that the Weizmann Institute of Science, a research university founded in 1934 in the city of Rehovot by Chaim Weizmann, who later became Israel's first president, was severely damaged in these strikes.- Attacks on northern IsraelFour people were killed and 13 others were injured in strikes on northern Israel, according to Israeli media reports.Several buildings and streets near Haifa, Tamra, and Krayot sustained "heavy damage" as a result of the missiles falling, Channel 12 reported.Separately, the Israeli army said that it intercepted two drones north of the southern city of Eilat.Earlier, the Israeli army said it is “operating to intercept missiles launched from Iran,” and that the military is “currently striking military targets in Tehran.”In the early hours of Friday, Israeli forces attacked Iran, hitting nuclear and missile facilities and killing top military commanders and scientists. Iran responded with ballistic missiles targeting several areas across Israel. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.

MDA Spokesperson: Following rocket strikes— In Gush Dan: Woman (60) confirmed dead, some 20 injured (moderate & mild). In Shfela: 24 injured near 3-entrance building (2 serious, 8 moderate, 14 mild). EMTs, paramedics on scene. Rescue ops ongoing.

#BREAKING Video showing an Iranian Hypersonic missile striking a target in the Gush Dan.

Gush Dan, Israel.

Images of impacted site in Gush Dan

Impact in Gush Dan israel

#IranIsraelConflict: Watch visuals of rescue operations which are currently underway in Israel's Gush Dan The images show severe damage to a residential building hit by an Iranian missile @JyotsnaKumar13 reports

OPERATION RISING LION (DAY 3) (To see Day 1-2 click here) Reports are emerging of additional Israeli strikes in Tehran and the destruction of the regime's nuclear headquarters. Meanwhile, an Israeli security source warns that Iran will likely intensify its attempts to target Israeli civilians. In response to the attack on its nuclear facilities, Iran continued to fire missiles. In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Iran launched a catastrophic missile assault on Israel overnight, claiming at least 10 lives and injuring over 100. The attack, which targeted residential areas, left a trail of destruction, with a 10-story building in Bat Yam reduced to rubble and a family of five killed in the Galilee. Israel responded with ferocious airstrikes on Tehran, targeting nuclear facilities and a critical fuel terminal, intensifying the conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the attack site in Bat Yam, where he declared: "Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of civilians, women, and children that they committed intentionally." Netanyahu added: "We are here because we are in an existential battle—something that is now clear to every Israeli citizen. Just imagine what would happen if Iran possessed nuclear weapons to launch against Israeli cities." Devastation in Bat Yam and Beyond The Iranian missile barrage struck multiple cities across Israel, causing unprecedented damage. In Bat Yam, a missile demolished a 10-story residential tower, injuring 32 people and trapping others under debris. ZAKA rescue teams recovered six bodies from the site, including a woman around 60, a man around 70, a boy around 10, a girl around 8, a woman around 55, and a teenage boy around 18. Rescue operations continue as the Home Front Command reports "a few remaining missing persons" are unaccounted for, following earlier reports of approximately 35 missing people. In the Galilee, a missile strike claimed the lives of five members of a single family, including two women in their 40s and daughters aged 13 and 20. In Gush Dan, a 60-year-old woman perished, with 20 others injured. The Shfela region reported 24 wounded, and in Rehovot, a building hit by a missile caught fire, raising fears of collapse. Magen David Adom treated 140 victims across the affected areas, with six in critical condition, 19 in moderate condition, and 111 in stable condition. Israel's Retaliation: Rising Lion's Might The Iranian attack followed Israel's Rising Lion's Might, a series of precision strikes targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Israeli Air Force jets hit a fuel terminal in Tehran's Shahran district, which processed 8 million liters of fuel daily and could supply the capital for three days. The IDF also struck key nuclear sites, including the headquarters of Iran's defense ministry and a research center in Tehran, as reported by Iranian sources to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In addition to the airstrikes, the IDF intercepted seven unmanned aerial vehicles launched toward Israel in the past hour. The Home Front Command urged residents in northern and central Israel to stay near protected spaces, emphasizing the ongoing threat. Voices from the Ground The Home Front Command chief, speaking at the Bat Yam disaster site, underscored the importance of safety protocols: "This tragic incident reminds us how vital it is to follow Home Front Command instructions. We face challenging days, but our resolve is unbreakable – we have the spirit and strength to protect you and save lives." Residents of the struck building in Bat Yam described harrowing scenes. "Ain't no floor, the shelter door flew off," one survivor told reporters, capturing the chaos of the attack. US Response and Global Reactions The United States, denying involvement in Israel's strikes, issued a stern warning to Iran. President Trump wrote: "If we are attacked in any way by Iran, the full might of US military forces will fall upon you at levels never seen before. That said, we can easily broker a deal between Iran and Israel to end this bloody conflict!!!" NBC reported an emergency meeting at the Pentagon following Israel's request for US support against Iran. Jordan closed its airspace amid the escalating tensions, as reported by the Jordanian News Agency. Meanwhile, Al-Hadath noted Israeli strikes targeting Houthi leadership in Yemen, further broadening the conflict's scope. Human Toll and Heroism Hospitals across Israel are overwhelmed with casualties. Rambam Hospital treated 42 injured overnight, with one critically injured woman succumbing to her injuries. Sheba Medical Center managed 123 casualties since the operation began, with 37 from the latest attacks in stable condition. Assuta Ashdod Hospital admitted eight victims from Bat Yam and Rehovot, one in critical condition. In a separate tragedy, the IDF announced that Master Sergeant Noam Shemesh, a 21-year-old from Jerusalem, was killed in southern Gaza by an RPG attack. In Tamra, the death toll from an earlier strike rose to five, all from one family. Ongoing Updates: 5:00 p.m.: No casualties reported in latest barrage. 4:11 p.m.: Sirens blare in northern and central Israel. 2:12 p.m.: The IDF spokesperson announced that the Israeli Air Force intercepted approximately 20 unmanned aircraft launched toward Israeli territory in the past hour. 1:47 p.m.: The Saudi channel Al-Arabiya quoted a "senior Israeli official" saying that "American intervention is necessary to complete the war objectives against Iran." According to the same official, Israel is "concerned about American pressure before achieving war goals in Iran. If we don't destroy the reactor at Fordow, the operation will be pointless. And if Trump pressures Israel despite his previous agreement, Israel will submit to ending the war." 1:44 p.m.: Iranian media reported a series of explosions in western Tehran. 12:49 p.m.: US envoy Steve Witkoff held direct talks with Iran's foreign minister last night. The American envoy also met with Omani officials last week to explore a new proposal framework. 12:15 p.m.: According to Israel's Ministry of Health, 385 injured people arrived at hospitals during Saturday night, of whom 7 are in serious condition and 40 are in moderate condition. 11:12 a.m.: Following the tragedy in Bat Yam and reports of missing people at the scene, 4 missing persons were located at the hospital. 9:55 a.m.: The IDF spokesperson issued an immediate evacuation notice in Persian to all Tehran residents in the vicinity: "All individuals located inside or near nuclear weapons production facilities and their installations must immediately leave these areas and report to the relevant authorities. We call upon everyone currently present, or who will be present in the near future, at all weapons facilities in Iran and their supporting entities to evacuate these facilities immediately and not return until further notice." 9:27: Home Front Command rescue forces rescued a Holocaust survivor earlier today (Sunday) who was trapped under rubble in a building in Rehovot. 8:35 a.m.: Interceptor debris from a drone struck a balcony in the village of Iksal a short time ago. 8:30 a.m.: The Israeli Air Force and Navy intercepted seven unmanned aircraft launched toward Israeli territory in the past hour. 8:07 a.m.: ZAKA command center reported that two additional bodies were extracted from the destruction site where the missile fell in Bat Yam - the victims were a 55-year-old woman and an 18-year-old boy. So far, 6 people have been extracted from the severe scene in Bat Yam including a 60-year-old woman, a 70-year-old man, a 10-year-old child, an 8-year-old girl, a 55-year-old woman, and an 18-year-old boy. 7:55 a.m.: Update from Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital reported that 8 wounded from the barrage were evacuated to the hospital from Bat Yam and Rehovot. A total of 8 wounded arrived at the medical center, with 1 in serious condition, 4 in moderate condition, and 3 in light condition. 7:52 a.m.: Home Front Command commander at the Bat Yam impact site said, "In Rehovot, we managed to rescue a survivor from the rubble. This difficult incident serves as a reminder of how important it is to follow Home Front Command safety guidelines. We have difficult days ahead, but we have the spirit and the strength to work together with you to protect you and continue saving lives."

BREAKING : 20 casualties following rocket impacts in central Israel and the Shfela region – including one critically injured** In central Israel, 13 casualties are being treated: • 1 in critical condition • 2 in moderate condition • The rest are in mild condition In the Shfela region, 7 casualties are being treated: • 2 in serious condition • 4 in moderate condition • 1 in mild condition Pray for them