Yisrael Aloni, 73, was one of two people killed early Saturday morning when an Iranian missile struck Rishon Lezion.
Though a siren sounded before impact, there was no prior warning from the Home Front Command, and Aloni was fatally struck outside of a protected area.
Eran Aloni, Yisrael's son, recounted: “My father didn’t have a reinforced room. He went into the basement and was hit by a massive blast. He told us yesterday that he had no access to the nearby shelter and was forced to stay at home.” Aloni was a father of three and grandfather to 11.
The second fatality in Rishon Lezion was Yevgenia Blinder, 74, a resident of the city.
In Ramat Gan, 74-year-old Eti Cohen Angel was killed in the same missile attack. A mother of four daughters, she was remembered by her daughter Nurit Cohen-Elstein as “a smiling and beautiful woman, a good soul.”
“Her partner was also injured yesterday and is currently sedated and on a ventilator at Tel Hashomer,” she added. “It’s very difficult.”
In addition to the two fatalities, over 60 others were injured by the missile. The IDF also confirmed that seven soldiers sustained light injuries from the same strike in central Israel.