Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News at the site of the deadly strike in his city, where Yaron and Ilana Moshe were killed by an Iranian missile.
"We are a city that has experienced many missile strikes, including during this current round of 'Roaring Lion,' but this is the first deadly strike of this kind in the 'Roaring Lion' operation. We lost two precious residents, activists, and wonderful people from the impact of a single missile. It's deeply tragic," Shama-Hacohen said.
He explained that the city’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable. "The issue is that you're sitting in the heart of the Gush Dan area, and no matter where they aim, in the end, it will hit you. That’s our disadvantage in the war. From Ramat Gan's perspective, we’ve been through emergencies, missile strikes, including severe hits, massive destruction, and evacuations of thousands of residents."
One of the most significant challenges in Ramat Gan is the lack of residential protection in older buildings. Shama-Hacohen outlined the steps the city has taken to bridge this gap: "We are doing everything we can. We opened public shelters at the light rail stations and large city clubs. We've upgraded all the municipal shelters and injected a million benefits to make sure people feel comfortable coming and staying there."
Beyond the physical solutions within the city, the municipality has adopted a unique support model for the most vulnerable populations. "We’ve taken dozens of hotel rooms for elderly, frail residents who struggle to reach shelters, for bereaved families without proper protection, for people with special needs, and for disabled IDF veterans who lack adequate shelter. This is the maximum a society can do."
The mayor made a strong call to his residents not to fall into complacency. "The missiles don’t understand the language of 'It won’t happen to me.'" He urged the public to strictly follow the Home Front Command instructions to prevent further tragedies.
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