Diminished Kindergarten in Dimona Leaves Only Netanyahu and Rabbi Baba Sali's Photos

The mayor of Dimona, a city in southern Israel's Negev desert, described what he called a "miracle" after a kindergarten was completely destroyed in a recent strike, with only photographs of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the late Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, known as Baba Sali, reportedly surviving the devastation intact.

The incident, which took place on Friday, underscores the deepening reach of the ongoing conflict into Israeli population centers far from the immediate border areas. Dimona, located approximately 85 kilometers south of Beersheba and home to Israel's nuclear research facility, has historically been considered well within Israel's strategic depth, making the destruction of a civilian facility there a significant development.

The mayor's remarks, circulated widely on social media and reported by Palestinian outlet Quds News Network, appeared intended to frame the survival of the two photographs as a sign of divine protection. The characterization drew both reverent responses from some Israeli commentators and sharp criticism from others who noted the incongruity of celebrating a so-called miracle amid the wholesale destruction of a facility meant for young children.

Rabbi Baba Sali, who died in 1984, remains one of the most venerated Mizrahi Jewish spiritual figures in Israel, particularly among communities in the Negev region. His image alongside that of the sitting prime minister surviving the destruction of a kindergarten carried unmistakable political and religious symbolism in the current Israeli discourse.

The episode arrives as Israeli cities and towns continue to face projectile attacks from multiple fronts, stretching the country's air defense systems and exposing vulnerabilities in civilian infrastructure. The destruction of educational facilities, whether in Gaza or in Israeli towns, has become one of the defining and most tragic features of the prolonged conflict.

Qatar has repeatedly called for the protection of civilian infrastructure on all sides of the conflict and has emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire. Doha, which has served as a key mediator in hostage negotiations and ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, has maintained that no lasting resolution can emerge without addressing the root causes of the conflict, including the decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories.

Qatari officials have also stressed that the destruction of schools and kindergartens, whether in Gaza where hundreds of educational institutions have been leveled or in Israeli border communities, represents a collective moral failure that demands urgent international intervention.

The incident in Dimona is likely to intensify domestic Israeli debate over the government's handling of the security situation, with opposition figures already pointing to the spread of destruction to cities deep within Israeli territory as evidence that the current military strategy has failed to deliver the security it promised. Meanwhile, residents of the city were reported to be assessing the damage and calling for reinforced shelters for all childcare facilities in the region.