The death, which revealed a rare gap in Israel’s multiple levels of defense, was the first in a fortified safe room that military officials could recall.
Gaza Rocket Finds a Rare Gap in Israeli Armor, and a Boy Is Killed
When a rocket struck an Israeli border town, Ido Avigal, 5, was sheltering in a fortified safe room. But shrapnel still managed to puncture the thick window, killing him.
Israel’s Iron Dome antimissile defense weapons, designed to intercept incoming rockets and artillery shells, in Sderot.Credit.Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
Published May 14, 2021Updated May 17, 2021
SDEROT, Israel It was 1:30 p.m. on Friday in Sderot, and Ido Avigal, 5, was being laid to rest a few miles to the north. He had been killed in what officials termed a freak incident two days earlier when a rocket from Gaza made a direct hit on the building next door to his aunt’s apartment, where he was visiting with his mother and older sister.
When a rocket struck an Israeli border town, Ido Avigal, 5, was sheltering in a fortified safe room. But shrapnel still managed to puncture the thick window, killing him.