During the recent 40 days of fighting between the US and Israel against Iran, 20 Israeli civilians and foreign nationals were killed in Israel as the result of Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

These are their stories.

February 28, Tel Aviv

The first casualty in Israel of the war came on February 28, the first day of the fighting, when caregiver Mary Ann Velasquez De Vera, a citizen of the Philippines, was killed when an Iranian ballistic missile struck an apartment block in Tel Aviv.

She was “injured while selflessly assisting her patient to safety,” according to the Israeli Embassy in Manila. The woman she was caring for was rescued alive from the rubble.

De Vera, 32, first began working in Israel in 2019 for an elderly woman who lived in Beersheba, named Doris Gurin, who died in 2021. Gurin’s two daughters told The Times of Israel how selfless and devoted she was as a caregiver.

“She had the most wonderful smile. We brought her to our mom’s apartment, and they both started hugging, and it was love at first sight,” said Barbara Wachspress.

Her sister, Janice Prawer, said De Vera “was part of our family, a ray of sunshine — so special, caring, and devoted.”

March 1, Beit Shemesh

In the single deadliest attack of this round of fighting, nine people were killed on March 1 when an Iranian ballistic missile impacted in Beit Shemesh, destroying a synagogue and directly hitting a bomb shelter.

Three of those killed were teenage siblings: Yaakov Biton, 16, Avigail Biton, 15, and Sara Biton, 13. They are survived by their parents, Tamar and Yitzhak, and their younger sister Rachel.

Tamar told The Associated Press in an interview that Yaakov, a natural-born leader and orator, studied at the yeshiva that her husband ran and was known for bringing friends closer to Jewish observance. Avigail was smart, sensitive and thoughtful, and Sarah was a whirlwind of activity, always helping around the house and the community.

“They sanctified God’s name with their life, and also after their death, they continue sanctifying his name,” Yitzhak told the news outlet.

A classmate of Yaakov’s, Gavriel Ravach, 16, was also killed by the missile impact.

His brother, Refael, told Army Radio that “Gavriel was the type of person who causes those around him to feel good, he was a good brother and a good friend. For those who knew him, he was an entire world.”

Refael added that “all the evil and the pain are the fuel to continue to spread light — as long as we continue doing good and giving of ourselves, we feel that Gavriel is still with us.”

Also killed in the strike were Ronit Elimelech, 44, and her mother, Sara Elimelech, 67. Ronit is survived by her three children, who were rescued from the site of the strike, as was Sara’s husband and Ronit’s father, Yaakov. The pair is also survived by Ronit’s four siblings.

Ronit was a volunteer with United Hatzalah and was working toward becoming a nurse, her friend said.

“Ronit was the embodiment of selflessness and professionalism,” said Eli Beer, the United Hatzalah president. “She answered the call to help others time and again, day and night. Even in her final moments, as she rushed with her family toward shelter, her medical kit and orange vest were beside her, ready to save lives.”

Momi, Sara’s son and Ronit’s brother, told a radio station that his mother cooked food for IDF soldiers for the past decade: “My mother was a righteous woman. She would cook and send her donations to the army, to soldiers, every year for 10 years.”

Another parent and child were also killed in the Beit Shemesh strike: Bruria Cohen, 76, and her son Yosef (Yossi) Cohen, 41.

Yossi is survived by his wife, Pnina, and their four children. Bruria is survived by her children and grandchildren.

At the funeral, Pnina, who arrived directly from the hospital after being treated for her wounds, said: “Yossi, thank you for being with me for 14 years, through good and bad, you were always there for me.”

“They say they take the best and you really were the very best, there was no better,” she added. “I love you and you will always be in my heart.”

Tamir, Bruria’s son and Yossi’s brother, said at the funeral that his mother was “full of love. How can I say goodbye to you? How?”

The ninth person killed in the missile strike on Beit Shemesh was Oren Katz, 46. He is survived by his wife, Smadar, and their four children.

Smadar told the Kan public broadcaster that they all went down to the bomb shelter together, and Oren waited by the door to close it after everyone had entered, but never got a chance. He was killed by the impact, while the rest of the family survived.

“He was killed because of his kindheartedness,” she said.

At his funeral, Smadar said Oren “always told me that we have to give, and this generosity cost you your life… you taught me what giving was. I want to ask forgiveness if I didn’t do enough. I love you, Oren.”

Two Israeli construction workers from Petah Tikva were killed in Yehud on March 9 after a munition from an Iranian cluster bomb hit their work site.

Rustam Gulomov, 61, died immediately, while Amid Mortozov, 40, was fatally wounded and died of his injuries the next day.

Gulomov moved to Israel in 2011 from Uzbekistan and worked in construction ever since. He is survived by his wife, two children and four grandchildren.

His daughter, Sabrina, said in a statement that “he was the best father in the world and he always took care of the whole family, mom, his kids and grandkids.”

His son, Sardar, who was the first in the family to move to Israel and enlist in the IDF, said the rest of the family then followed. He called his father “a devoted family man.”

Mortozov, who moved to Israel with his family in 2007 from Azerbaijan, is survived by his wife and their three children, ages 15, 12 and 4.

At his funeral in Petah Tikva, Mortozov’s brother, Emil, said, “He was a good person. We were close, as brothers. So many people came to pay their respects. He was a good father to his children — if only all parents could be like him.”

His son, Jubran, said: “I want to tell you that I miss you so much. You gave me everything, hope and belief. You always took care of me, you were always with me. I promise not to disappoint you.”

March 18, Ramat Gan and Moshav Adanim

Early in the morning of March 18, Yaron and Ilana Moshe, a married couple who were both 69 years old, were killed when an Iranian cluster munition hit their home in Ramat Gan.

First responders said the couple was found just outside their safe room, and believe they didn’t make it in time since Yaron used a walker and couldn’t move very quickly. Neighbors said the two were quiet and mostly kept to themselves, but were devoted to each other.

A neighbor, Chen Amir, told the Kan public broadcaster that they were “an elderly couple, good neighbors, we’d see them a lot, she would take him to treatments, bring him back every day. They were a very united couple.” None of the couple’s family members spoke to the media, nor released any photos of them.

Hours later, Chaiwat Waewnil, 33, was killed on March 18 by an Iranian cluster missile that fell in Moshav Adanim in central Israel, where he worked.

According to the Thai Labor Ministry, Waewnil had been working since last year at a potato farm in Adanim. Thai media outlets said he originally hailed from the Chaiyaphum Province in central northeastern Thailand.

The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants nonprofit said Waewnil was killed when the cluster bomb hit the shed he was working in, adding that he is survived by a wife and one child. His body was flown back to Thailand, where he was laid to rest in a cremation ceremony.

Vyacheslav Vidmant, 52, from Ashdod, was killed on March 27 by a bomblet from an Iranian cluster bomb as he stood guard at the site of the missile impact in Tel Aviv that had killed Mary Ann Velasquez De Vera a month earlier.

Vidmant, who moved to Israel from Belarus in 2001, was employed by the Tel Aviv Municipality to guard the damaged building against looting, and first responders said he did not seek shelter when the missile warning came in.

His daughter, Yana, told the Maariv news site that her father had only been working for a week in security in Tel Aviv, and had previously been employed at the Ashdod Port.

“He was a man who could do anything, he had hands of gold, he was a man of work,” she said.

Yana told the Ynet news site that they’d had a troubled relationship in the past decade, and had not been in touch: “I never thought we wouldn’t have a chance to say goodbye.”

Four members of the same family were killed when an Iranian ballistic missile hit their Haifa home on April 5. Their bodies were not located until the next morning, amid a complex recovery operation at the scene of the impact.

The four were named as Vladimir Gershovich, 73, his wife Lena Ostrovsky Gershovich, 68, their son Dimitri (Dima) Gershovich, 42, and his wife Lucille Jean Gershovich, 29.

Vladmir and Lena immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in the 1990s with Dima, their only child, and lived in Haifa. Dima met Lucille Jean while he was traveling in the Philippines and the couple wed in 2024 and lived in Herzliya.

Family members said that Vladimir had been hospitalized in recent weeks and only released home the day he was killed. Dima and Lucille Jean had been in Haifa to help ease his return home.

Vladimir was a retired tech expert who previously worked at the Technion and later at a small tech company. Lena was a renowned speech and voice coach at Nissan Nativ Acting Studio.

Dima worked at the JFrog tech company, while Lucille Jean worked as an aide at a daycare center in Tel Aviv, according to the Ynet news site. Vladimir, Lena and Dima were buried together in Haifa, while Lucille Jean’s body was returned to the Philippines for burial.

At their funeral, a family member, Olga, eulogized them as “a family who loved life.”

“Your home was full of art from around the world,” she said. “Your love for each other was a source of inspiration, you spread light everywhere. The patient way of the family was worthy of appreciation. When Dima told us about Lucille our hearts were filled with joy, they were so excited to start a family together.”

Olga added: “You will be deeply missed by us, the whole family, now and always.

In addition, four Palestinian women were killed on March 18, when an Iranian cluster munition hit a bridal salon in the Hebron-area village of Beit Awwa: Sahira, Amal, Aseel and Mais Masalma, ages 50, 36, 32 and 17.

Separately, two Israelis were killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks on the north: Nuriel Dubin, 27, and Uri Peretz, 43. And Ofer Moskowitz, 60, was killed as the result of accidental Israeli fire in the north.

During the same period, 12 IDF soldiers were killed while fighting against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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