The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel has written to UNICEF, alleging that ongoing indiscriminate ballistic missile attacks by Iran are hitting Israeli civilians, particularly children, and urging immediate international attention and condemnation.
In a letter addressed to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, the ministry outlined a series of missile strikes across multiple cities, alleging the use of cluster munitions.
“The primary victims of this aggression are innocent civilians and children,” wrote Nina Ben-Ami, Deputy Director General for UN and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Detailing the incidents, Ben-Ami said that on March 21, an Iranian ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions struck Rishon LeZion, scattering submunitions across 11 locations, including a kindergarten and daycare complex which was fortunately empty at the time. She further said, “Also on March 21, another missile carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives struck a densely populated residential neighborhood in Arad, resulting in a mass casualty event in which over 115 civilians were evacuated to a Soroka Medical Center. Among the wounded were 18 children and infants, including a 5-year-old girl, in highly critical condition and four other children are currently fighting for their lives in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.”
She added, “Hours before, a missile barrage on the town of Dimona on 12 different sites caused a residential building to partially collapse, injuring approximately 60 civilians including a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy who sustained severe shrapnel injuries.”
“These events follow a disturbing pattern: On March 14 in Eilat, a 12-year-old boy was severely wounded by cluster munition shrapnel when crossing the road, and required multiple surgeries at Yoseftal Hospital. On March 2nd in Beersheba, a missile hit a residential building, and injured 15 people, including children,” she added.
She further said, “A day earlier, on March 1, a devastating Iranian missile strike on a Beit Shemesh residential shelter murdered nine civilians, and injured over 50. Among them, three teenage siblings, aged 13, 15, and 16, who were killed together as they sought refuge, alongside another 16-year-old boy. Rescue teams pulled dozens of traumatized children from the rubble, including an infant and a 10-year-old girl in serious condition, further illustrating the horrifying toll on innocent youth.”
“The attacks also take a psychological toll. Thousands of Israeli children are currently receiving psychological care at national resilience centers and hospitals for severe anxiety caused by explosions and prolonged confinement in bomb shelters,” she said.
She said, “I urge UNICEF to issue an immediate and explicit public condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran for these atrocities, and stand unequivocally in defense of Israeli children.”