Taiwan's representative office in Israel has announced a donation of approximately £135,000 to Beit Shemesh after it was hit by an Iranian missile on Sunday.
Nine people were killed, including four teenagers, in the city, which is approximately 20 miles west of Jerualesm when an Iranian missile managed to evade the Iron Dome air defence system.
Several of the dead were already inside a bomb shelter, but it was completely destroyed by the strike, as was a nearby synagogue.
One of the first to be identified – and buried – was Ronit Elimelech, who was herself a volunteer emergency responder living in Beit Shemesh.
A funeral for her mother Sarah, also among the dead, was due to take place too. Ronit, a 45-year-old single mother, is survived by her three children, all of whom were also injured in the early afternoon attack and are still receiving treatment.
She was described by United Hatzalah, Israel’s biggest volunteer-based emergency response service as “a friend. A colleague. A Hero in Orange.”
In a statement published on its website, the organisation said: “For several agonising hours after the strike, Ronit was listed as missing. Rescue teams searched relentlessly through the wreckage until confirmation came that she and her mother were among those who had [been] killed.”
An official announcement by the Beit Shemesh municipality identified the others declared dead as Bruria Gloria Cohen and her son Yossi; Oren Katz, Gavriel Baruch Ravach; and siblings Yaakov, Avigail and Sara Biton.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Beit Shemesh the day after the attack, along with Israel’s culture minister, Amichai Eliyahu.
Eliyahu told Sky News: “What did these people here ever do to them? What did these babies do to harm them?
"They have never done anything bad to Iran; we don't even share a border with Iran. This was done for no reason at all, except pure hatred for the sake of hatred.
“So I'm asking all those who defend them in the world, who are you defending? Monsters, monsters want to kill us."
The donation from Taiwan will be used for immediate aid through food packages and humanitarian supplies, including essential equipment and hygiene products.
The Jewish Agency for Israel has also been on the scene helping since the beginning of the week.
It posted yesterday on X: “After the destruction and loss in Beit Shemesh, the Jewish Agency was on the ground right away, delivering emergency assistance to affected families. Showing up in moments of crisis is what we do.”
Other cities in Israel have also been struck since the war broke out last Saturday, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba.
As of Thursday morning, the Health Ministry reported that 1,473 people had been hospitalised, though fatalities have been limited.
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