Dimona was one of the main targets of Iranian missile fire over the past 24 hours, as the southern city faced repeated alerts and multiple impact scenes after interceptor fragments and missile debris fell across the area.
At least eight warnings about possible incoming missiles were heard through the city’s public announcement system and on residents’ mobile phones throughout the day.
“There were several booms, there was a siren, we went into the safe room, came out, and then there was another alert,” Adva, a city resident, said. “It happened several times. Fragments fell near the home of one of our relatives, and a structure there collapsed.”
By the evening, at least 25 people had been injured in the city in incidents involving falling interceptor debris and missile fragments. A boy around 10 years old and a woman in her 40s were moderately wounded, while the others sustained light injuries from flying glass shards, falls while running to protected spaces, or were treated for shock.
Magen David Adom teams were called to more than 12 scenes where debris had fallen, causing damage and injuring residents.
“It is very clear to us why Dimona is being targeted,” city council member Avi Zikri said. “We are dealing with an unprecedented incident with injuries. We are being asked to show patience and inner strength, and once again, the images and videos show that some people are not protecting themselves, and that is terrible. It is forbidden to go outside during an alert. With God’s help, we will win.”
Medical teams evacuated dozens of injured individuals, including those moderately wounded, to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Large emergency and rescue forces were deployed to the city, including firefighters, medical personnel, and Home Front Command units.
“We joined the security forces and are scanning the scenes,” Mayor Benny Bitton said. “There was a direct hit on private homes. It was apparently cluster munitions or missile fragments.”
'We arrived at a very difficult scene'
“We arrived at a very difficult scene, a direct hit from shrapnel on a residential building in one of Dimona’s older neighborhoods,” said Dan Bonbida, 42, a Dimona resident. “There was a wave of consecutive sirens, and that came after an extremely difficult day for the city. There were quite a few incidents that, fortunately, ended without many injuries and with many miracles.”
Bonbida, who has lived in the city all his life, said he had never experienced anything like this in Dimona.
“I often see reports from medical teams about injuries in other places. Fortunately, no one here was seriously hurt,” he said.
After the debris fell, he rushed to one of the scenes and helped evacuate the wounded to the frontline emergency room operating in Dimona.
“There are many emergency and rescue forces here. I really do not remember events like this,” he said. “The first scene after the afternoon impact involved interceptor fragments. Later, the army issued messages saying Dimona was expected to come under fire again. Then it happened. There are fires in several apartments. I saw homes that were truly destroyed. Many forces that arrived here immediately began working to save lives. But Dimona is holding firm and will recover. I very much hope our enemies will pay a price.”
Resident injured while trying to help others
Adir, another city resident who was injured in his lower limbs, said that when he arrived at one of the scenes, a wall collapsed on him and on others who were with him.
“I have bruises on my knee now,” he said. “Several of us went in after the debris fell to rescue people in a home for residents under care. Because of the damage to the building, a wall fell on us. The residents there are miserable. People here are really traumatized.”
Adir is not part of the emergency services, but said he still put himself at risk in an effort to save others.
“I am just an ordinary civilian,” he said. “A missile fragment fell near my home. The truth is, we left the safe room before getting approval from Home Front Command because we heard the boom very close by. When we came out, people told us that a fragment had fallen at my grandmother’s house. She was not hurt, but my aunt and my sister-in-law were injured.”
Magen David Adom personnel who reached the impact scenes rescued and treated the wounded, most of whom suffered from bruises or shrapnel injuries.
“These were several scenes close to one another,” said Carmel Cohen, a Magen David Adom paramedic. “We arrived with large forces of ambulances, intensive care units, and emergency motorcycles from the organization. There was extensive destruction at the scenes, along with chaos involving injuries and people who came to help with the rescues. We set up a gathering point and brought all the wounded there. They underwent initial triage and received medical treatment. We then evacuated them to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, including a 10-year-old boy and a woman around 30.”
Soroka Medical Center later said the boy was in serious condition, while the other injured individuals who arrived there were listed in light to moderate condition.