HEBRON, March 18, 2026 (WAFA) – Three Palestinian women, including a minor, were killed and 13 others were injured, some critically, on Wednesday night after missile fragments fell on the town of Beit ‘Awwa, southwest of Hebron.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its teams handled three women fatalities caused by falling fragments and transferred the bodies to the hospital.
It added that its teams, in coordination with Dura Municipality ambulance crews, also dealt with the injury of 13 injured females, including two in critical condition, while the others sustained moderate to minor injuries. All were transferred to Dura Governmental Hospital and hospitals in Hebron.
WAFA correspondent, citing local and medical sources, confirmed that the women killed were identified as Mais Ghazi Masalmeh, 17, Sahira Rizq Masalmeh, 50, and Amal Sobhi Abdel Karim Matawa’ Masalmeh, 36.
Local sources reported that missile fragments fell on a women’s salon, injuring several women, including some in critical condition.
The Palestine Civil Defense reported that the fragments hit a metal caravan used as a women’s salon next to a house in Beit ‘Awwa, causing fatalities and injuries, including some critically, among several women inside.
Sources added that rocket fragments also landed in multiple locations across the Hebron governorate, including in the city of Hebron and the town of Deir Sammit.
The emergency response media committee stated that Civil Defense teams, the police explosives engineering department, and medical crews, in coordination with relevant authorities, worked to secure the site, manage the aftermath, and monitor the incident.
In light of these developments, the emergency response media committee called on citizens to urgently take shelter in safe and reinforced locations, stay away from areas at risk of falling objects, avoid gathering to allow the relevant authorities to carry out their work, and strictly adhere to all safety instructions issued by the relevant agencies.
Since the outbreak of the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran on February 28, the Police explosives engineering department and civil defense teams have responded to falling rocket and projectile fragments across multiple governorates, resulting in injuries and property damage.
The explosives engineering department had previously warned citizens to avoid approaching rocket fragments or remnants to ensure their safety.
In a statement, the department said that under the current circumstances, which may involve falling fragments or remnants of rockets and projectiles in some areas, citizens are urged to follow safety instructions: do not approach any suspicious object, fragment, or rocket remnant that may fall in residential areas; avoid standing in open spaces during bombardment or climbing rooftops; take shelter and ensure secure cover; and do not touch or move these objects under any circumstances, as they may contain hazardous, toxic, incendiary, or unexploded components.
The statement also urged keeping children and citizens away from the site of any fallen object, preventing gatherings or proximity, and immediately reporting the location to the police via emergency number 100 or to Civil Defense via 102, providing precise coordinates whenever possible.
Citizens were also instructed not to photograph or approach such objects, as doing so could endanger public safety, and to follow the directions of security forces until specialized teams arrive to neutralize the threat.
The police confirmed that explosives teams are operating around the clock to handle these objects and ensure areas are cleared of danger, emphasizing that public adherence to safety instructions and prompt reporting are vital to protecting lives and property.
T.R.
