Four of the 9 victims of Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh named by authorities |
Four of the nine people killed when a ballistic missile fired from Iran slammed into a residential neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, were named by authorities on Sunday night.
Nine people were killed and more than 40 were injured when the missile destroyed a synagogue and caused extensive damage to a public bomb shelter beneath it, as well as surrounding homes.
The victims included a mother and her adult daughter.
It was the deadliest missile strike in Israel during the current conflict with Iran — Philippine national Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, 32, was killed in a missile strike in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
The IDF said that the failure to intercept the missile that hit Beit Shemesh was under investigation by the Israeli Air Force.
Air defense systems were activated in the area, but the interceptors failed to shoot down the missile for as-yet unclear reasons, resulting in the direct hit by the estimated 500-kilogram warhead.
Ronit Elimelech, 45, volunteered with the United Hatzalah emergency service, and paramedics called to the scene found her medical kit and vest amid the rubble.
She was killed alongside her mother, Sara.
Elimelech and her three children had been at her parents’ home in Beit Shemesh and entered the public shelter underneath the synagogue once they heard sirens go off, United Hatzalah said in a statement.
First responders rescued two of Elimelech’s children from the rubble and took them to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center after they sustained light to moderate injuries in the strike.
The third child was apparently unharmed and Elimelech’s father was also found safe.
“Ronit joined United Hatzalah after her young son asked her to volunteer as his birthday gift. I met them personally, and they hold a very special place in our hearts,” Eli Beer, United Hatzalah’s president, wrote on X, before Elimelech’s death was announced.
He posted a story on social media, explaining how Ronit came to volunteer as a result of the request of her son Itamar, who is on the spectrum, on his 11th birthday.
“Itamar was so proud of his mother,” Beer wrote.
⚠️ The following video was filmed 2 years ago, when Ronit joined United Hatzalah as a volunteer. I am asking everyone to please pray for our dear volunteer, Ronit Elimelech, and her mother, who are currently missing following a missile strike in Beit Shemesh. Ronit was visiting… pic.twitter.com/jwuQCO2hNy — Eli Beer (@EliBeerUH) March 1, 2026
⚠️ The following video was filmed 2 years ago, when Ronit joined United Hatzalah as a volunteer.
I am asking everyone to please pray for our dear volunteer, Ronit Elimelech, and her mother, who are currently missing following a missile strike in Beit Shemesh.
Ronit was visiting… pic.twitter.com/jwuQCO2hNy
— Eli Beer (@EliBeerUH) March 1, 2026
Sara Elimelech was killed in the Iranian missile strike alongside her daughter Ronit, who was visiting along with her three children.
Sara’s husband and three grandchildren survived the attack.
Oren Katz was the third victim of the missile attack to be identified by the Beit Shemesh municipality.
16-year-old Gavriel Baruch was the fourth victim of the missile strike to be identified by the Beit Shemesh municipality.
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at 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 during this ongoing conflict.
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
1 Woman killed, dozens injured as Iranian missile strikes Tel Aviv residential block
2 9 killed as Iranian missile destroys synagogue, smashes bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh
3 End of an era as Iran confirms Khamenei is dead; Trump: Justice for Iranians and beyond
4 IDF says dozens of top Iranians killed within seconds of Khamenei as CIA role emerges
5 Inside storyTop US official: Iran planned to preemptively launch missiles, Trump was forced to act
6 Iran attacks on Gulf damage Dubai airport, ignite fire at iconic Burj Al Arab hotel
7 Reporter's notebook‘We meet again’: Inside the ‘pajama party’ at a north Tel Aviv bomb shelter
8 Reporter's notebook‘Everything is gone’: Deadly Iranian strike on Beit Shemesh leaves residents reeling
2026 US-Israel war with Iran