Defense Minister Israel Katz celebrated Monday the demolition of buildings damaged in an Iranian missile attack last month in Holon, coming under fire from affected residents who fumed at the upbeat event.
One resident heckled the attending dignitaries, among whom was Holon Mayor Shai Kenan, saying they were callously ignoring the residents’ pain, while security guards tried to distance him from the event.
The June 19 strike wounded over 20 people, one of them seriously, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. The missile badly damaged two buildings, which were condemned as a result. Many residents lost their homes and, in some cases, their belongings.







Speaking at the ceremony marking the demolition, Katz hailed the 12-day war against Iran as “the grandest operation in Israeli history,” and said, “We plan to surprise the ayatollah regime in Iran in the future as well.”
He said the government knew the war would be difficult for Israel’s residents.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories




By signing up, you agree to the terms




“It was clear to us that the resilience of the Israeli home front is an important factor,” Katz said. “We prepared well for this damage, and still — the images of ruined buildings and displaced families are difficult and complex.”





“You are the real heroes,” he told the residents, “and we are committed to doing everything to let you return to life quickly. Today we demolish so we can build and be built — it’s part of the victory.”
Mayor Kenan said a new street called Rising Lion Way, named for the operation against Iran, would be paved in the neighborhood.
“It’s easy for you to hold an event over our pain,” a man was seen shouting during the event in a clip shared on social media. “To come and raise a glass over our pain, to make a lot of noise is the easiest thing for you to do.”

Yulia, a tenant of one of the impacted buildings, told Army Radio that the celebratory nature of the ceremony was in poor taste.




“Maybe I should wear a wedding dress,” she said sarcastically. Yulia said that when she saw the notice for the ceremony — adorned with the slogan Am Yisrael Chai (the nation of Israel lives) — “it took me a day to process that it’s real. It’s incredibly disgusting. The municipality is detached from reality.”
Noam She’altiel, another resident whose home was destroyed, told the Ynet news site: “I did not imagine that this would be how we’d say goodbye to our first home. There is champagne and food [at the ceremony] and it’s gross.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks at a ceremony in Holon, July 28, 2025. (Screen capture: Ynet)

In a statement, the Holon municipality told Ynet that the event was “all about home, community empowerment and new beginnings,” and was meant to honor the affected residents and first responders.
“The municipality will not cooperate with attempts to create a divisive discourse at the expense of the ceremony, which is being held in a similar fashion to events in other cities,” it said in a statement.
Protesters demanding a hostage deal in the Gaza war rallied outside the ceremony, Hebrew media reported.
Addressing the ceremony, Katz threatened that if the hostages being held in Gaza are not returned to Israel soon, “the gates of hell will open.”
Israel launched a sweeping assault against Iran on June 13, targeting its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The 12-day conflict came to a close Tuesday when a US-brokered ceasefire took hold.
Israeli forces targeted top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program in the country to dismantle the “existential threat” posed by the Islamic Republic.




Iran launched over 500 ballistic missiles at Israel during the war last month. The strikes killed 29 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel. In all, there were 36 missile impacts and one drone strike in populated areas, causing damage to 2,305 homes in 240 buildings, along with two universities and a hospital, and leaving over 13,000 Israelis displaced.
The clash with Iran came amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which was triggered on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw terrorists abduct 251 people as hostages to Gaza, 50 of whom remain in captivity.





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