Houthi missile attack destroys elementary school in central Israel

Ramat Gan mayor says it was ‘great luck’ that missile was fired overnight and not during school hours.

By World Israel News Staff

An elementary school in a Tel Aviv suburb was seriously damaged in the early hours of Thursday morning, as Houthi terrorists launched a ballistic missile at central Israel around 2:30 a.m.

Although the missile was said to be intercepted, Ramat Efal Elementary School, located in Ramat Gan, sustained such severe damage that a building collapsed.

No casualties were reported. Nearby cars and homes were also damaged in the attack.

Footage from the scene circulating on social media show a building with its wall blown off, exposing the classroom inside. Partially collapsed roofs, shattered glass, and scattered debris are also seen.

An unexploded warhead or a large piece of missile shrapnel may have damaged the school.

Last month, an interception only partially destroyed the warhead of a Hezbollah missile, with the explosive load impacting in Ramat Gan.

Ramat Efal Elementary School will not be operational until further notice, and its students will learn elsewhere, Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama HaCohen said in a statement.

“This night ended with great luck for the residents of the city of Ramat Gan. As the mayor and as the father of a child at Ramat Efal Elementary School, I do not want to think about a situation in which this missile would have been fired during school hours,” Shama HaCohen said.

“Teams from the municipality are on the ground and conducting a damage assessment, as well as initial clean-up of the scene,” he added.

The Ramat Gan municipality said in a statement that students in grades 1-4, including special education students, will attend classes in nearby schools. Students in the 5th and 6th grades will attend classes online.