Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg eulogized teenager Gabriel Baruch Revach, of blessed memory, who was murdered when an Iranian missile landed in the city and called on residents to strengthen themselves and unite.
“Like a lion we will roar against all our enemies. You will not defeat us. You will not defeat us," Greenberg began and continued, “In these difficult moments we are writing the scroll of Beit Shemesh. Our children will one day speak about a Beit Shemesh that stood together in this painful hour. From the fracture we will find the strength to rise; from the pain we will yet grow and flourish."
He added that “this month will be transformed for all of us from mourning to joy, from grief to a festival," and expressed condolences to the Revach family on behalf of all city residents.
“We offer a prayer: See Your children, those who sanctify Your Name in their deaths. See their love for one another, their self-sacrifice," the mayor said. “Place faith and confidence in our hearts, protect our soldiers, and topple the kingdom of evil, the kingdom of Persia in Iran," he concluded.
Nine people were murdered when an Iranian missile made a direct strike on a public shelter at a synagogue in the city. Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled estimated that some of those killed were inside the shelter, and Home Front Command is examining whether it was functioning properly.
Other victims were in nearby buildings at the time of the impact. The IDF stated that a review found the alert system was activated as required prior to the strike.
Sixty people were wounded in the missile attack, three of them seriously, including a young girl. Five were moderately wounded, including two children, one of them four years old. The rest, some of them children, sustained light injuries.