MEMBERS of a British family including two children were in hospital with shrapnel wounds after a terrorist rocket blasted their home in Israel. Robert and Susan Wolf, originally from London, were at home with their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren when air defence sirens sounded. They scrambled to a shelter seconds before the long-range missile wrecked […]
MEMBERS of a British family including two children were in hospital with shrapnel wounds after a terrorist rocket blasted their home in Israel.
Robert and Susan Wolf, originally from London, were at home with their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren when air defence sirens sounded.
They scrambled to a shelter seconds before the long-range missile wrecked their house in Mishmeret, Central Israel.
Glass company boss Mr Wolf said next to the smoking ruins of his property yesterday: “If we hadn’t got to the bomb shelter in time I would be burying all my family.
“We would all have been dead if we didn’t do what we were supposed to do.”
Seven people were injured in the blast including the Wolfs and two of their grandchildren but none of the injuries were life threatening.
The Wolfs’ son Daniel told how the family cheated death by seconds yesterday.
He said: “I heard the siren, ran to our oldest daughter, picked her up, ran to my wife and our younger daughter, picked them up and rushed them to the safe room.
“Right away, I went to my parents and told them, my Dad and Mom, and then my Father ran into another unit we have in the house to get my younger sister.
“My wife, the two girls and I were in the safe room while my Mom did not make it in time and was standing between the safe room and the kitchen.
“That’s when the missile fell. Then there was this silence, dust everywhere and screaming. It was horrible.
“I got my wife and the two girls out and saw my Mom lying there. I saw that she was bleeding so I picked her up and got her out.”
The Israeli military said the rocket was fired by terror group Hamas from their territory in the Gaza Strip on Israel’s west coast.
The attack is the longest range strike since the Islamist began firing rockets at Tel Aviv for the first time since 2014 last week.
Mrs Wolf, 60, suffered shrapnel wounds and is being kept in hospital. A six-month-old girl, understood to be the Wolfs’ granddaughter, is also being kept in hospital.
The family’s two dogs, a German shepherd and a bulldog, were both killed in the blast, a neighbour said.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is cutting short his trip Washington in response and said Israel would respond “forcefully” to the attack.
“There has been a criminal attack on the State of Israel and we will respond forcefully. In light of the security events I have decided to cut short my visit to the US,” Mr Netanyahu said.
“In a few hours I will meet with President Trump; I will return to Israel immediately afterwards in order to manage our actions from close at hand.”
Israeli warplanes look certain to hit back with air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza within hours.
The rocket struck at around 5.20am, landing a direct hit on the Wolfs’ injuring a total of seven people, but four have already been released from hospital
The Wolfs moved to Israel 20 years ago and made their home in Mishmeret, a prosperous town north east of Tel Aviv after being granted dual Israeli citizenship.
David Quarrey, the UK ambassador to Israel, condemned the rocket strikes, saying “there can be no justification of any kind for this attack”.
Mr Netanyahu – who will seek a fifth term as PM next month – was due to meet Donald Trump yesterday at the White House but flew home when news broke of the attack.
Israel’s military struck back at Hamas positions in Gaza following warnings that the rocket attack would be avenged.
Terror group troops were seen abandoning border positions before explosions were heard in western and southern Gaza.
No details were given on the military response – believed to be an artillery or rocket barrage.
