Grandfather dies of wounds 3 months after Iranian missile attack

The 82-year-old survived the initial blast, but ultimately succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli man who was critically wounded during an Iranian ballistic missile strike in April 2026 has died after battling for his life for nearly three months.

Michael Katz, 82, died on Wednesday after remaining in Rambam Hospital since a missile struck his apartment building in Haifa, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

His neighbors were killed instantly in the same attack, named as four members of the Gershovich family — Vladimir Gershovich, 73; his wife, Lena Ostrovsky, 68; their son, Dimitri Gershovich, 42; and Dimitri’s wife, Lucille-Jane Gershovich, 29, a native of the Philippines.

Katz survived the initial blast but suffered life-threatening injuries, from which he never recovered.

His widow, Nina Katz, reflected on the loss of the man with whom she had shared more than five decades of marriage.

“On that terrible Sunday, my life was shattered by an Iranian missile strike,” she told Ynet.

“I will forever miss the perfection that my beloved Michael gave to our life together, to our children and to our grandchildren,” she added.

“Michael was a great person to be around, a man with great joie de vivre who loved life and knew how to enjoy it. Everyone who met him fell in love with him immediately. He will be missed not only by us, but also by all his acquaintances.”

For much of his professional career, Katz worked at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, one of Israel’s leading defense technology companies, where he contributed to projects supporting the country’s national security.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav paid tribute to Katz in a statement, highlighting both his decades of public service and the circumstances of his death.

Yahav said Katz had “dedicated his life to the security of the State of Israel through his work.”

The mayor noted that Katz was wounded “in his home, during a criminal attack targeting civilians in the heart of Haifa.”

“For three months, we accompanied his fight for his life with hope, and this morning we said goodbye to him with great pain,” he added.

Katz is survived by his wife, his sons Itamar and Yoav, and six grandchildren.