Unprotected from Iranian missiles, Palestinians in Israel decry neglect
People inspect the rubble of a damaged building in the northern Israeli town of Tamra, following an overnight missile attack from Iran on 15 June 2025
Baker Zoubi reports in +972 on 17 June 2025:
Late Saturday night, an Iranian missile loaded with explosives struck a large house in Tamra, a Palestinian city in northern Israel. Within seconds, the explosion reduced the modern home to a pile of rubble, killing four members of the Khatib family and wounding dozens of their neighbors.
Raja Khatib, an attorney who lost his wife, Manar; daughters Shada, a 20-year-old university student, and Hala, aged 13; and sister-in-law, also Manar, in the blast, told +972 that he was not at home when the missile hit and rushed back as soon as the sirens stopped.
“When I arrived, my youngest daughter, Razan, said that her mother and sisters were on the upper floor and hadn’t been able to reach her in the safe room [reinforced to serve as an at-home bomb shelter] in time, because the missile fell so quickly,” he recounted. “I tried to reach them, but I couldn’t: the house was destroyed, and I realized they couldn’t be saved.
“Just three days ago we came back from a vacation in Italy,” Khatib continued. “How I wish the flight had been delayed by a day and canceled. My wife was my whole world. She was a successful teacher, loved by her students. My brother’s wife was the same. Shada was an outstanding law student; she dreamed of becoming a lawyer like me and my brother, maybe even a judge. Hala didn’t even have time to dream — she was only 13. I wouldn’t wish this even on my worst enemy.”