16 Druze Children Remain Hospitalized After Hezbollah Rocket Strike

Jerusalem, 30 July, 2024 (TPS) -- Sixteen children injured in Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attack on Saturday remain hospitalized, including seven in serious condition, hospital officials said on Tuesday morning.

The Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where eight are being treated, said three are in serious condition, of whom two remain sedated and on ventilators. The hospital added that all three are suffering abdominal and chest injuries, and limb fractures.

One child is in moderate condition while four others are being treated for light wounds, mostly from shrapnel, mainly suffering from shrapnel injuries.

Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center said it is still treating five victims. Three are listed in serious condition in the pediatric intensive care unit where they are sedated and on ventilators. Another two suffering from shrapnel injuries are in mild condition in the pediatric surgery unit.

Three children are hospitalized at the Northern Medical Center near Tiberias. One is listed in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and the third is expected to be discharged soon.

Saturday’s rocket attack killed 12 children, injured more than 40, and sent tensions soaring as the Iran-backed Hezbollah braces for an expected retaliation. Residents of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights, called on the government to punish Hezbollah.

Israel’s Druze community of 152,000 trace their ancestry back to the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Israeli Druze serve in senior positions in public and military life, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is referred to as the “covenant of blood.” The Druze speak Arabic but are not Muslim and are very secretive about their religious beliefs.

The Alma Research and Education Center told TPS-IL on Thursday that Hezbollah rocket barrages on northern Israel are expanding in range, reaching deeper into Israel to unevacuated communities.

Nearly 80,000 Israelis were forced to evacuate their homes near the Lebanon border when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. The attacks have killed 25 civilians and 18 soldiers.

Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.