It was late at night when an Iranian cluster bomb flew through the ceiling of an elderly couple's apartment in central Israel and exploded in their tiny living room, killing them both. The path of the bomb was still clearly mapped onto the ash-covered debris left behind. A large hole in the ceiling of their top-floor apartment marked where it punched through, forcing broken concrete and metal rods inwards.

Shrapnel holes across the back walls showed the force of the explosion, which destroyed the front of the apartment - leaving it open to the street outside. Inside, a walking frame lay upended on the floor under the ash-covered furniture and rubble.

We heard three noisy interceptions, but on the fourth one, we knew it was our house, said Sigal Amir, who lives next door and was sheltering in her safe room when the explosion hit. There was a massive boom and I felt a pain in my ear from the blast, she said.

Deaths from Iran's daily missile attacks have been rare in Israel, with air defenses intercepting most of them. However, cluster bombs disperse over a wide area and are much harder to defend against, even when the missile carrying them is shot down.

Israel has reportedly intercepted many missiles but still struggles with the impact of the dispersed munitions carried by these weapons. As the ongoing conflict progresses, the psychological toll on the Israeli population is evident, with many expressing frustration and a sense of hopelessness, highlighting the dire situation many civilians face amid persistent warfare and instability.