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Updated 19 March 2026 - Casualty figures confirmed by Palestinian and Israeli officials.
Salon strike claims three lives in Beit Awwa
Three Palestinian women died and eight others were wounded when an Iranian missile struck a beauty salon in the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Beit Awwa, near Hebron, on Wednesday night.
The Israeli military stated the women were killed by a direct hit from a cluster munition missile. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported the explosion resulted from missile shrapnel.
Timeline of the attack
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were intercepting an Iranian missile barrage when the incident occurred. Local witnesses said a bomb or missile fragment landed near the salon-a prefabricated metal structure adjacent to a residential home-and ricocheted into the building.
The women had gathered outside the salon, waiting for manicures ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, when the explosion tore through the walls and door. Shrapnel left a large hole in the salon's wall, scattering debris inside.
Victims identified
The Palestinian news agency Wafa named the deceased as Mais Ghazi Masalmeh, 17; Sahira Rizq Masalmeh, 50; and Amal Sobhi Abdel Karim Matawa' Masalmeh, 36. The PRCS initially reported four fatalities before revising the toll to three.
Emergency teams, including five ambulances, rushed to the scene but faced delays due to locked iron gates blocking access to the area. The PRCS said the obstruction critically delayed medical response efforts.
Additional casualties and damage
Wafa reported that missile fragments or intercept debris landed in multiple West Bank locations. Iran has previously launched cluster munitions-weapons that disperse bomblets over a wide area-at Israel.
In Israel, a 30-year-old Thai agricultural worker, Chaiwat Weaw-nil, was killed by shrapnel in Moshav Adanim, approximately 20 km northeast of Tel Aviv. Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency service, confirmed metal fragments were scattered across the scene.
Context of the conflict
The women are the first Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank linked to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. The IDF had warned of Iranian missile threats prior to the strikes.
"Several casualties and injuries were found at the site," the PRCS stated, describing the scene as chaotic.
Palestinian Red Crescent Society
