Eyewitnesses described their experiences when a rocket struck a soccer field in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals aged between 10 and 20, according to the newspaper "Haaretz." Meshnat Mahmoud, a resident of Majdal Shams, told Haaretz that the windows in his home were shattered due to the explosion. He added that when he arrived at the scene, "it was impossible to recognize some of the bodies. They were definitely at the point of impact."
Marhaf Abu Saleh, who witnessed the incident, stated: "They are all our children and relatives. You have to see the explosion site. The rocket struck directly on the soccer field where they were playing football. They heard the sirens and wanted to go to the shelter next to the field; it would take them 10 to 15 seconds to reach it, but they couldn't because the rocket hit the site between the shelter and the field."
Dr. Osama Halabi, a resident of the nearby Druze village of Mas'adeh, told Haaretz, "I was at home when it happened. I heard the sirens and received a call. I realized it was a serious incident. I rushed to the clinic in Majdal Shams. Many injured people arrived. It was hard to comprehend what I saw. It was an extremely serious incident. The scenes were unlike anything I had ever seen before." He added, "Unfortunately, all the victims were children aged between 8 and 14, and they were all wearing sports clothing. They had shrapnel wounds all over their bodies." He noted, "I had to declare their deaths myself. We managed to stabilize some injured individuals and transfer them to the hospital. The situation was extremely difficult, and there were a large number of victims in every sense of the word. We had to prioritize the injured based on their condition. It was extremely hard to witness such scenes."
"I was standing close to the impact site and saw the bodies of children after the explosion," said Ali Abu Sa'ada, a resident of Mas'adeh. He continued, "It's extremely difficult. It's a disaster for us. When the sirens went off, my wife told me not to scare the children, and within seconds, we heard the explosion. There was no interception from the Iron Dome, and I am very angry." Another resident said, "Everyone here is emotionally devastated. People are sitting by the roadside crying."
A Galilee resident who arrived in Majdal Shams shared with Haaretz: "I was less than half a minute away from the event. The time between the alert and the explosion was very short. There were injured and dead children on the ground. It's unbelievable. It reminds me of October 7." He added, "The children came to play and have fun. This explosion tore them to bits. Where is the State of Israel in this? Where are you, Bibi (Benjamin) Netanyahu? I don't know if he is on a plane now, but I'm not sure he has heard about the incident. Instead of being in the U.S. celebrating his son's birthday in Miami while our children are on the front lines in Gaza and elsewhere, this raises many questions."
It is noted that the Israeli Prime Minister faced criticism for not changing the timing of his flight immediately after the incident. Netanyahu’s office responded by asserting that he rushed back to the United States following a visit to Washington, where he delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress and met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. This attack has indicated a potential escalation, as Israel accused Hezbollah of carrying it out, which the Lebanese group has denied, amid calls for de-escalation between the two sides due to fears of a broader war.
