First deadly Iranian strike on West Bank kills three Palestinian women
The Chronify
Three Palestinian women were killed and 13 other people injured when debris from an Iranian missile, or possibly a submunition from a cluster warhead, struck a women’s hair salon in the occupied West Bank late Wednesday, in what appears to be the first Iranian attack of the war to cause Palestinian deaths there. Reuters reported that the strike hit the town of Beit Awwa, southwest of Hebron, and cited the Palestinian Red Crescent as confirming the fatalities.
The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa said fragments from an Iranian missile hit the salon and other locations across Hebron governorate. Al Jazeera reported that one of the injured was in critical condition and said local responders, including Palestinian Civil Defence, medics and explosives teams, moved quickly to treat survivors and secure the area.
The precise nature of the object that struck the salon was not immediately confirmed. Reuters described the incident as an Iranian missile attack, while Al Jazeera said the casualties were caused by falling debris from a missile or possibly a bomblet from a cluster munition. That distinction matters because some of the latest Iranian strikes have involved multiple warhead systems designed to complicate interception.
The deaths mark a grim first for the occupied West Bank in the current Iran Israel war. Reuters said Palestinians in the territory had previously suffered injuries and property damage from earlier Iranian barrages, but no fatalities had been reported until now. Al Jazeera also described the incident as the first deadly Iranian strike to hit Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began.
The strike came during another night of Iranian missile attacks across Israel and the wider region. Reuters reported that a foreign worker was also killed in Moshav Adanim in central Israel in a separate Iranian missile attack. Al Jazeera said additional injuries were reported from shrapnel in nearby Arab Israeli towns and that an eight storey building caught fire in Tel Aviv after an impact.
The incident has also renewed attention to the unequal level of civilian protection available during missile attacks. Al Jazeera noted that while most Israelis have access to bomb shelters, Palestinians in the occupied territory largely lack comparable protection and often depend on warning sirens from nearby Israeli cities or settlements.
The wider war, which began on February 28 after US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has entered its third week with civilian casualties mounting on multiple fronts. Reuters said the West Bank deaths came amid continuing daily Iranian missile launches toward Israel, while AP reported earlier that Iranian retaliatory strikes had already killed civilians near Tel Aviv and expanded to Gulf targets as the regional conflict deepened.
The precise nature of the object that struck the salon was not immediately confirmed. Reuters described the incident as an Iranian missile attack, while Al Jazeera said the casualties were caused by falling debris from a missile or possibly a bomblet from a cluster munition. That distinction matters because some of the latest Iranian strikes have involved multiple warhead systems designed to complicate interception.
The deaths mark a grim first for the occupied West Bank in the current Iran Israel war. Reuters said Palestinians in the territory had previously suffered injuries and property damage from earlier Iranian barrages, but no fatalities had been reported until now. Al Jazeera also described the incident as the first deadly Iranian strike to hit Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began.
The strike came during another night of Iranian missile attacks across Israel and the wider region. Reuters reported that a foreign worker was also killed in Moshav Adanim in central Israel in a separate Iranian missile attack. Al Jazeera said additional injuries were reported from shrapnel in nearby Arab Israeli towns and that an eight storey building caught fire in Tel Aviv after an impact.
The incident has also renewed attention to the unequal level of civilian protection available during missile attacks. Al Jazeera noted that while most Israelis have access to bomb shelters, Palestinians in the occupied territory largely lack comparable protection and often depend on warning sirens from nearby Israeli cities or settlements.
The wider war, which began on February 28 after US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has entered its third week with civilian casualties mounting on multiple fronts. Reuters said the West Bank deaths came amid continuing daily Iranian missile launches toward Israel, while AP reported earlier that Iranian retaliatory strikes had already killed civilians near Tel Aviv and expanded to Gulf targets as the regional conflict deepened.
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