Soumya Santosh, a 30-year-old Indian woman in Israel, was killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, reported PTI, citing officials. Her death occurred amid escalating hostilities and instances of violence between the Israelis and Palestinians, and a day after a residential tower in the Gaza Strip was hit by an Israeli air strike.
The woman belonged to Kerala's Idukki district and was employed as a caregiver, attending to an 80-year-old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.
She had come to Israel seven years ago, and is survived by her son who is living with her husband in Kerala. The elderly woman she looked after is reported to have survived the hit but is hospitalised and is in a serious condition.
Soumya’s family has said she was talking to her husband on a video call in the evening when the incident took place. Her husband’s brother told PTI:
“My brother heard a huge sound during the video call. Suddenly the phone got disconnected. Then we immediately contacted fellow Malayalees working there. Thus, we came to know about the incident.”
More Details
Ron Malka, Israel’s official ambassador to India, took to Twitter to express his condolences to Soumya Santosh’s family.
Malka also said on Twitter that he spoke to Soumya Santosh’s family and that his heart goes out to her 9-year-old son Adon.
“This evil attack reminds me of little Moses, who also lost his parents during the 2008 Mumba Attacks,” wrote Malka.
The Kerala CMO on Wednesday said that the state government was in touch with the Indian Embassy in Israel to ensure that Santosh’s mortal remains are brought back to Kerala and handed over to her family as soon as possible.
“The CM expressed heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Soumya,” the statement further said on Wednesday, according to ANI.
Tensions have been rife in the region amid growing anger against alleged forced evictions of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.
“With escalating hostilities, the death toll in two days has risen to 32 Palestinians and three Israelis. Palestinian children have also been caught in the attacks, with at least nine of them losing their lives, to Israel launched airstrikes, on Monday night, 10 May.
Background
A 13-storey residential tower in the Gaza Strip was also hit by an Israeli air strike and soon after collapsed, amid a surge in fighting between Israel and Gaza militants, reported Reuters, quoting witnesses.
In retaliation to the Israeli air strike that had flattened a tower block in the Strip, Gaza’s Islamist ruler Hamas said it had fired over 130 rockets towards Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, 11 May.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged both Israel and the Palestinians for de-escalation.
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