Israeli children who attend the Ramat Efal Elementary School in Ramat Gan had nowhere to attend classes on Thursday morning after shrapnel from a ballistic missile destroyed their classrooms, totaling the building and the school yard.
The damage followed the interception of a surface-to-surface long-range ballistic missile launched by Iran’s proxy in Yemen, the Houthis.
A large piece of shrapnel from the interception landed on the school. Vehicles that were parked near the school were also significantly damaged.
Miraculously, no one was in the building at the time, and there were no injuries reported.
“As the father of a student here, I don’t want to describe what would have happened if the missile had been fired during school hours, especially the level of anxiety and the difficult experience of the parents and children,” Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama HaCohen told reporters in an early morning briefing outside the school.
The mayor’s daughter attends the school, which HaCohen said was “fully protected” due to new construction.
Despite that reinforcement, a platform in the main building of the school collapsed and the damage was so severe that the school cannot be used until further notice.
According to the Ramat Gan municipality, students in grades one to four and special education classes will be moved to nearby schools for the time being. The older students will remain home on Thursday and Friday for remote learning.
