Bodies of 4 missing people recovered from scene of Haifa missile strike amid continued Iranian barrages

Following an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the city of Haifa on Sunday evening, Israeli Fire and Rescue teams on Monday morning recovered the bodies of two people who were buried under the rubble from the blast. Rescue operations were still ongoing at the time of publication, with two other people still missing.

Early on Monday afternoon, Israeli authorities announced the bodies of the remaining two victims were also recovered, lifeless.

The rescue operation had been ongoing since the missile struck a residential building in Haifa on Sunday, despite fresh missile barrages being launched toward Israel, including one that targeted the same area of Haifa. As the rescue operations in Haifa were still underway, Iran launched several more salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel, with four individuals reported wounded from shrapnel in the later barrages. 

Haifa Fire and Rescue Service said that after the hours-long rescue attempt, together with rescue teams from IDF Home Front Command, the teams “rescued two trapped individuals who were found under the rubble without signs of life.” 

🎥WATCH: The Chief of Staff of the Home Front Command at the impact site of an Iranian ballistic missile launched at a civilian community in Haifa, northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/nyrjrsK00g

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 6, 2026

Four people were reported to be missing following the attack on Sunday, including an elderly couple, their son and a caregiver. Rescue teams worked for hours trying to locate them. IDF Home Front Command chief, Maj.-Gen. Shai Klapper, spoke at the scene of the impact, saying his teams were determined to find the trapped victims.  

“We intend to act with determination, professionalism, and thoroughness until the trapped are found,” Klapper said at the time, late Sunday night, as rescue efforts continued.

According to initial reports, all four were not in the building's bomb shelter at the time of impact. 

The teams had to work carefully and also evacuated several nearby buildings, after police sappers assessed that the missile warhead may not have detonated. 

Army Radio reported that a much larger catastrophe was narrowly avoided, as the warhead did not explode but collapsed several floors of the building by sheer force of impact. The warhead itself was not of an unusual type, the report added. Rescue forces on the scene reportedly estimate that had the warhead exploded, it would have caused much heavier damage to surrounding buildings in the area, potentially claiming many more lives.

Despite the recovery of the bodies, Israeli authorities have not yet publicly released the identities of the victims. 

The Israel Air Force launched an investigation to determine why the Iranian missile was not intercepted, despite the launch of several interceptors. 

Later on Monday morning, Army Radio reported that the Iranian ballistic missile disintegrated in the air, which caused the interception attempts to fail. Authorities estimate that what hit the building was part of the missile.

As suspected, the missile warhead had not detonated, but the impact of the missile fragment caused one floor of the building to collapse.

Updates from central Israel: pic.twitter.com/wzbShs5lZG

— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) April 6, 2026

Shrapnel debris from an apparent cluster warhead was reported to have fallen at least 15 sites across central Israel, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

A woman in Petah Tikva was seriously injured by missile fragments that struck her car. She was evacuated to the hospital for treatment with a chest injury, Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services said. 

MDA paramedic Noam Dahan in Petah Tikva, told Hebrew media, “When we arrived at the scene, we saw a vehicle with shattered windows in which was a 34-year-old woman, conscious and suffering from severe injuries to her body from intercepted fragments. We gave her life-saving medical treatment and evacuated her to the hospital in critical condition.” 

A man in Tel Aviv was evacuated to the hospital after being lightly injured by falling shrapnel and glass shards, MDA reported. 

Footage shared on Israeli media showed property damage in the Tel Aviv area, including a burst water pipe, and minor damage to the wall of a school. A vehicle, which was apparently struck by a cluster munition, caught fire, causing a plume of black smoke to rise over the city, before the fire was extinguished by firefighters.

MDA footage from the scene of one of the cluster submuntion impacts in Haifa. pic.twitter.com/wtzS0EyyTJ

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 6, 2026

Meanwhile, the cluster munition attack in Haifa on Monday morning damaged several vehicles.

Missile launches towards Beersheva were also detected; however, the IDF later reported that they were successfully intercepted. 

Additionally, a barrage of at least 10 missiles, including some with cluster warheads, was launched at central Israel in the middle of the night. Several of the missiles were intercepted, while others were reported to have landed in open areas.