Following the ballistic missile fired by the Houthis overnight Wednesday at central Israel, a large piece of shrapnel landed in a school in Ramat Gan, causing it to collapse.

Minutes after the alarms sounded, residents of the Ramat Efal neighborhood of Ramat Gan heard loud explosions. The shrapnel not only damaged the school but also caused heavy damage to nearby buildings and parked vehicles.

The Home Front Command launched an investigation into the collapse. Although initial reports said that shrapnel from an interceptor missile fell in the school, the IDF explored the possibility that the school sustained a direct hit from the ballistic missile’s warhead or parts of it.

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-HaCohen said: “Destruction is extensive, and IDF is still investigating, but engineers have determined the school must be demolished. There’s a silver lining—the students will get a new school. Houthis can fire missiles, but we will remain resilient and united. Ramat Gan has robust protective measures, and we deeply appreciate the air defense system, but there’s no such thing as 100% safety.”

Later on Thursday, Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the school and confirmed that the school had been bit by the warhead. The IDF later issued a statement saying: Following an initial probe by the IAF and an examination of the findings at the scene of impact at a school in Ramat Efal in central Israel, it is likely that the damage was caused by partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen and that the missile warhead was the part that exploded and damaged the school.”

The Ramat Gan municipality stated: “Already at the initial stage, we identified an extensive collapse of the main school structure. The school will not be fit for use until further notice. For now, it has been decided to transfer classes for 1st—4th graders and special education students to nearby schools; the other grades will remain at home for remote learning tomorrow. According to the Home Front Command, no change in instructions is expected, and from their perspective, residents can continue their regular routines.”

Shama-HaCohen said, “This night ended with great luck for the residents of Ramat Gan. As the mayor and as a father of a child in the Efal school, I don’t want to imagine a situation where this missile was fired during school hours, only because of the fear and difficult experience for parents and children, as the school, thanks to new construction, was fully fortified.”

“Municipal teams are on the ground and are handling everything needed – from dispersing the students while trying to maintain the optimal learning framework, conducting an initial damage assessment, to cleaning and restoring the nearby public space as much as possible. I spoke personally with the residents who live near the school and we will accompany them in [receiving support and compensation] from the various authorities.”

MDA paramedics said that there were no reports of injuries other than several residents who suffered from shock or were injured running to bomb shelters.

Following the Houthi attack, the Israeli Air Force carried out extensive airstrikes in Yemen, targeting its ports in Hodeida and Sana’a. The IAF attack was not carried out as an immediate response to the Houthi missile launched overnight Wednesday as plans for the attack began weeks ago. In fact, the Israeli fighter jets were already on the way to Yemen when the Houthis launched the missile at central Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)