The Israeli military Sunday identified 11 of the 12 kids killed by Hezbollah rockets that hit a soccer field at a playground in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights – as thousands gathered for the funerals of the slain children.
The Israel Defense Force identified the victims as Millar Maadad al-Shaar, 10; Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din, 11; Naji Taher Halabi, 11; Yazan Naif Abu Salah, 12; Izil Nashat Ayoub, 12; Finis Adham Safadi, 12; John Wadie Ibrahim, 13; Hazem Akram Abu Salah, 15; Fajr Laith Abu Salah, 16; Amir Rabi Abu Salah, 16, and Nazem Fakher Saeb.
Mourners flocked to the town of Majdal Shams for the funerals of 10 of the children, with thousands seen sobbing and breaking down over the coffins of the young victims.
Along with the slain children, another 40 people were injured as a result of Saturday’s rocket barrage, the deadliest attack on the Jewish state since the Oct. 7 massacre that set off the war in Gaza.
Speaking at the funeral, Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid was among the politicians condemning the attack and vowing to retaliate against Hezbollah for crossing “all red lines.
“The children who died in this soccer field could have been any of our children, and as such they are indeed all of our children,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
“The job of the state is to give security to children. Children are not supposed to die in the wars of adults,” he said. “The state failed, the government failed. We apologize to the families.
“The reaction [to the strike] will be harsh, and it will reverberate throughout the Middle East. We will not just let this pass,” Lapid said.
Lapid’s warning echoed that of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which described Saturday’s attack as a complete massacre.
“This is not an army fighting another army, rather it is a terrorist organization deliberately shooting at civilians,” the ministry said in a statement.
The attack occurred while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was wrapping up his visit to Washington DC, with Netanyahu boarding an earlier flight to rush back home.
The prime minister pledged that Israel “will not let this pass in silence.”
After the warning from Israel’s leadership, the IDF struck several Hezbollah targets deep inside southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it struck several weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed terrorists. Some critics said the retaliatory attack was too tame given Saturday’s massacre.
Hezbollah has denied allegations that it was the group that fired the rockets in the Golan Heights on Saturday.
With Post wires
