Who says lightning never strikes twice?
The home of Jamal Waraki, 36, a Muslim Arab volunteer for ZAKA, the Israeli search-and-rescue organization known for its work in disaster response, was struck twice by Iranian missiles during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
His family home was damaged in the first missile impact in the city of Rehovot in the early hours of June 15, an attack that also severely damaged buildings at the prestigious Weizmann Institute.
Waraki said that he had been out rescuing an 80-year-old man from the rubble and returned home to find his apartment impacted by the blast of a missile that landed nearby—a scene he discovered at 7 a.m. that Sunday. Shrapnel from the rocket was strewn all over his apartment.
While Waraki’s wife and son had fortunately relocated to Eilat since the start of the war, he decided to move to another apartment in Holon. Then, on Thursday, June 19, while Waraki was out on another rescue mission, that home was hit as well.
“The first time, my home in Rehovot was hit by a very strong shockwave [from a missile attack]. It caught me in the middle of a rescue operation. I came back home and saw it had been seriously damaged by the blast,” he told JNS. “My second home in Holon, where I had moved just the night before, was also hit—this time by a direct missile strike.”
He acknowledged that it had been “very difficult” for him to find a new home because he is an Arab Israeli who served in the IDF.
“On the one hand, I can’t live in an Arab area because I’m not very accepted there due to my military service. On the other hand, living on the other side of the country doesn’t suit me because of the distance,” he said. “After a long and exhausting search—'blood, sweat and tears,’ as they say—I finally found a place [in Holon] and then this happened. Now I’m back to square one, trying to find another home.”
He added, “Beyond that, there’s also the property damage and the financial loss, which is also significant. It’s not easy … Mentally, it really breaks you down. After my home was hit again, it got to the point where I collapsed emotionally over the weekend. I went down to Eilat just to get a hug and some support from my family so I could keep going. My wife encourages me, telling me it’ll be okay and that it’s just a phase that will pass, but I know this time is hard for her too. It’s tough.”
As a ZAKA volunteer, Waraki is no stranger to trauma. He was on the scene in southern Israel in the hours following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, which traumatized him but strengthened his determination at the same time.
“I’ve been dealing with PTSD since the war began,” he told JNS, “but no rocket will stop me from continuing to volunteer with ZAKA.”
Waraki was one of the first ZAKA responders on site following the atrocities of Oct. 7. One of the fatalities seared into his memory—a woman who had survived the Holocaust.
“She managed to survive the Holocaust but did not survive this,” he recalled.
The images of death and destruction are a reminder of that horrific day, while the emotional toll of the impact from missiles compounds the PTSD that rescuers are already experiencing, ZAKA said.
The impact of the Iranian missiles
Since the start of Operation Rising Lion on June 13, Israel’s defensive military campaign to end the existential threat to the Jewish state posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal, thousands of Israelis have been left homeless due to the impact of missiles on civilian residences.
At the time of the Iran-Israel ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on June 24, 28 people had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded.
While Israelis are remarkably resilient, there will be long-term effects for those directly affected by the missiles. The Israel Tax Authority reported 38,700 damage claims, 30,809 related to buildings, 3,713 related to vehicles and 4,085 related to other property.
According to the IDF Home Front Command, more than 15,500 people were evacuated from their homes after missile attacks from northern to southern Israel.
Assessments of the physical damage may take months to complete, but what about the emotional scars? Israel’s medical and mental health professionals are already stretched for resources as the country still grapples with the trauma of more than 20 months of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
There are thousands more who will need as much help as possible to rebuild their homes, their lives and restore their battered mental health; people such as Jamal Waraki.
