Residents in Majdal Shams, a Druze town located in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, are deeply devastated after a rocket strike killed 12 youngsters on a football pitch, with Israeli officials calling for retaliation against Hezbollah, the Lebanese group blamed for the attack.
The rocket strike on Saturday hit a football pitch in Majdal Shams during a football training session, tragically claiming the lives of 12 children and teenagers, all under the age of 16.
The death toll could potentially increase as more young people are admitted to hospitals with life-threatening injuries. The loss of life is always deeply devastating, especially within a tight-knit community where everyone is closely connected, intensifying the tragedy.
"It's hard, it's painful for all of us, because like me, I used to come here a lot, almost every day. And here in our community, if you lose one, we all lose one. We are so close together, and yesterday we lost 12. That's a heavy hit for us," said Adham Abu Salah, a resident in Majdal Shams.
Despite international appeals to prevent further regional escalation, Israel's security cabinet gathered Sunday night to deliberate on retaliation measures against Hezbollah following the rocket strike.
According to a statement issued following the meeting, the cabinet ministers had granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant the authority "to decide on the manner of the response against Hezbollah, and on its timing."
"This infamy happened yesterday against this village. The state of Israel, and the Israeli army, will find a way, according to our decision-making process to respond," said Olivier Rafowicz, a spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Hezbollah, which Israel holds responsible for the rocket attack, has been engaged in conflicts with Israeli forces along the Israel-Lebanon border since October last year. The group has denied involvement in the rocket strike.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
Residents mourn 12 children killed in rocket strike in Golan Heights
