An Indian nurse from Kerala, working in Ashkelon, Israel, was injured during an attack by the Palestinian terror group Hamas. At the time of the incident, the nurse was engrossed in a video call with her husband based in India.
Sheeja Anand, a 41-year-old Indian expatriate, has reassured her family back in India of her safety. Sheeja has been living in Israel for the past seven years, witnessing the unrest and terror attacks develop into a part of her life there.
Earlier, Anand had contacted her family after the attack started in Israel and informed them that she was safe. She called her family again in the afternoon but the call was abruptly disconnected due to a terrifying loud noise in the background.
A fellow Keralite who happened to be present at the scene informed the family that Anand had suffered severe injuries and had to undergo immediate surgery. Anand later informed that she was being shifted to another medical facility for a second surgery.
Anand's husband and their two children live in India. The husband is working in Pune.
According to a report by Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi, more than 200 people from Kerala are stuck in a hotel in Bethlehem and are feeling safe. Joy, one of the members of the group, said they heard the air raid sirens while attending mass.
The group has been instructed to return to their Bethlehem hotel. They were due to leave for Egypt on Monday, according to their schedule.
45 more Kochi residents are said to be stuck in a hotel in Palestine. According to Mathrubhumi, the group is safe and has been granted permission to cross the border.
The situation in Israel has been communicated to the Indian Ambassador to Israel and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
On Saturday, Hamas carried out a barrage of air strikes in Southern Israel on Saturday, killing over 700 people, including soldiers, and wounding more than 1,900. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in response launched multiple attacks targeting Hamas' key infrastructure. About 1,100 people have been killed in Israel and Gaza in the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, ten Nepali students were killed and four others injured in Israel after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a wave of rocket attacks in the country's southern region.
According to a PTI report, over 18,000 Indian people live and work in Israel, and no unpleasant incidents have been reported involving them.
The Indian mission in Tel Aviv and the Indian Representative Office in Palestine issued advisories urging Indian nationals on both sides to "remain vigilant" and "directly contact the Office" in the event of an emergency.