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Golan Heights: Children killed in attack on football field in Israeli-occupied territory

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video subtitles, Israel: Twelve people killed after rocket fire on the Golan Heights

  • Author, Paul Adams
  • Role, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

According to Israeli authorities, 12 children and young adults were killed and dozens injured when a soccer field they were playing on in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights collapsed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a rocket fired by the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fell on the Druze town of Majdal Shams – a claim denied by the group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against Hezbollah, saying the group would “pay a heavy price.”

The incident could trigger a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have regularly exchanged fire since the Israel-Gaza war broke out in October.

Saturday’s attack was the worst loss of life on Israel’s northern border since the war began on October 7.

Hezbollah spokesman Mohamad Afif denied responsibility for the attack and the BBC is attempting to verify reports that the militant group told the United Nations that the explosion was caused by an Israeli interceptor missile.

According to Israeli authorities, all those killed were between ten and twenty years old, but Israeli media reports that some were younger.

A verified video shows crowds of people gathering on a football field and stretchers being quickly carried to waiting ambulances.

Majdal Shams is one of four villages in the Golan Heights where about 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking religious and ethnic group of the Druze live.

Before reports of the attack’s impact emerged, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for four other attacks.

One was at the Hermon Brigade military headquarters on the slopes of Mount Hermon, which lies on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The base is about three kilometers from the soccer field.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, who visited the site of the attack, accused Hezbollah of “lying and denying responsibility for the incident.”

He said the missile was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 that was “exclusively owned by Hezbollah.”

“Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children,” he said, adding that Israel was preparing for retaliation.

Although Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire regularly and both sides have suffered casualties, both sides have refrained from actions since October that could have escalated into a larger war in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns home early from a visit to the US.

In an angry statement, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the leader of Israel’s Druze community, said the “cruel massacre” had crossed “every possible red line.”

“A proper state cannot allow continued harm to be done to its citizens and residents. This has been the ongoing reality in the northern communities for nine months,” he added.

Image source, Shutterstock

Image description, The rocket impact damaged the area around a football field in Majdal Shams

Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli news channel Channel 12: “We are facing total war.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the incident as a “terrible and shocking catastrophe” and said “the State of Israel will resolutely defend its citizens and its sovereignty.”

The Lebanese government also issued a rare statement in response: “It condemns all acts of violence and aggression against the civilian population and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts.”

“Targeted attacks against civilians constitute a blatant violation of international law and violate the principles of humanity,” the statement continued.

The US and the EU also condemned the attack.

UN envoy Tor Wennesland condemned the incident and called on all sides to exercise restraint.

“The Middle East is on the brink; the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict,” he wrote on X.

Most Druze live in northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria. In Israel they have full citizenship rights and make up about 1.5% of the population.

When the Golan Heights were annexed by Syria in 1981, they were offered Israeli citizenship, but only a minority accepted the offer.

Most maintain their loyalty to Syria. Druze in the Golan Heights can continue to study and work in Israel, but only those with Israeli citizenship can vote and must serve in the army.

The Druze are the largest non-Jewish group serving in the Israeli army.

The vast majority of the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench

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