Beit Shemesh missile attack deaths rose to at least nine after an Iranian missile struck the Israeli city on Sunday, according to first responders.
Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency service, confirmed that nine people were pronounced dead in the Beit Shemesh area. The service also reported 28 injured individuals following what police described as a direct hit on a building.
Rescue teams quickly deployed to the scene. Emergency personnel worked through debris as search operations continued for possible survivors trapped under the rubble.
Police said the missile caused heavy structural damage to a residential building. Photographs from the site showed a house severely destroyed, with its roof reduced to broken concrete and twisted metal.
🚨 Six Israelis were killed and 27 others injured in an Iranian missile attack on Israel
💢 Thick smoke rises from Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, following the strike https://t.co/YxGXhdK3De pic.twitter.com/jA6zREsljD
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) March 1, 2026
An AFP photographer at the scene reported rescue workers using specialised equipment to locate victims. Teams were seen removing bodies and assisting the injured amid smoke and chaos.
“When I arrived, I saw a terrible scene,” said MDA paramedic Yehuda Shlomo in a statement. He described heavy structural damage and frightened residents emerging from damaged buildings.
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Rescue teams continued to search for survivors beneath the debris. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that additional people may still be trapped.
The strike marks one of the deadliest incidents in Israel since the conflict escalated.