Breaking: Explosion at One of Israel's Major Technology Centers

Intel's strategic plant in southern Israel was hit by an explosion and fire.

According to the reports published in the Israeli media, today Wednesday, an explosion occurred at the factory of "Intel" in the industrial town of "Rabin" in the city of "Kariat Gat" in the south of the occupied territories, resulting in the injury of three workers, two of whom are reported to be in critical condition.

The Zionist Police declared the primary cause of the explosion to be the explosion of a gas cylinder, and at the same time, they are also investigating the possibility of leaking dangerous substances. According to the Israel Fire and Rescue Organization, after the explosion, a fire broke out in the factory and columns of thick black smoke rose from the scene.

Rescue teams are searching for the source of the chemical spill and to contain the fire.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Zionist regime has also announced that the Ministry's forces have been sent to the place along with the Union of Ashkelon Cities to investigate the possible environmental consequences of this incident. It is noteworthy that this explosion occurred while Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of the Zionist regime, was visiting the city of Kiryat Gat at the same time. The mayor of Kiryat Gat also asked the residents to avoid approaching the accident area.

The strategic importance of the Intel factory in the Israeli economy

The Intel factory in Kiryat Gat, which is known as "Fab 28", is one of the most important production facilities of this American company outside of the United States and is considered one of the vital pillars of the semiconductor industry of the Zionist regime. Started in 1996, the factory produces semiconductor chips for servers, workstations and personal computers. According to official statistics, since the beginning of its activity in 1974 until 2023, Intel Israel has exported more than 86 billion dollars and has continuously constituted between 3.5 and 5.5 percent of the total exports of the Zionist regime (excluding diamonds).

The Intel factory in Kiryat Gat is one of the most important Intel chip production facilities outside the United States and the pillar of the Zionist regime's technology exports; So that about 3-3.5% of the annual export and nearly 1.75% of the gross domestic product of this regime. But before this incident, Intel was also facing a serious crisis in the occupied territories. The war in Gaza, the sanctions campaign and international pressure have made this company a key target. Part of its workforce serves in the Zionist regime's army, and the economy of this regime has shrunk by about 20% since the beginning of the Gaza war.

At the global level, Intel's revenue fell from 78 billion dollars in 2020 to 53 billion dollars in 2023, and the company suffered heavy losses. At Kiryat Gat, the number of employees has been reduced from about 5,000 to 4,000, and there have been reports of another 800 layoffs and even the possibility of a complete factory shutdown. The 25 billion dollar factory expansion project was also stopped in June 2024, and the Zionist regime canceled a financial aid of 1.3 billion shekels (about 425 million dollars). The contract workers of the project have increased from 5500 people to about 2000 people.