- Indian expats in Israel awoke to sirens on Saturday when Hamas launched a massive attack on the country.
- There are about 18,000 Indians living in the conflict-hit nation.
- A Kerala native was reportedly injured; however, others are safe and in touch with the Indian embassy.
- So far, at least 1,100 people have died and thousands wounded on both sides, according to AFP.
- A report suggests there are roughly 85,000 Jews of Indian descent living in Israel.
- Govt making all efforts to evacuate Indian nationals.
Indian expats in Israel awoke to sirens on Saturday when militants from the Palestinian group Hamas launched a well-planned attack on the country on Saturday early morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steeled the nation for a “long and difficult” war and declared a state of war in the country after the unprecedented attack.
So far, at least 1,100 people have died and thousands wounded on both sides, according to AFP. Hamas fired a barrage of thousands of rockets at Israel and sent a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages, the news agency reported.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said that she received multiple messages overnight about Indians stranded in Israel and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office is actively monitoring the situation, news agencies reported. According to news agencies, there are about 18,000 Indians living and working in Israel.
A large number of Indians living in Israel work as caregivers of the elderly but there are also about a thousand students, several IT professionals, and diamond traders. A report suggests there are roughly 85,000 Jews of Indian descent living in Israel. Indian immigration to Israel reportedly began in the 1950s and 1960s, according to a news channel located in Delhi. Jews from Mizoram and Manipur have immigrated to Israel recently.
According to the press, a Kerala native in Israel was reportedly injured on Saturday in a missile attack in Ashkelon, a coastal city located in the southern part of Israel. Moreover, other Indians stuck in Israel are “safe, so far…”
A doctoral student at Hebrew University told the news agency that she was informed that all Indians are in touch with each other. A postdoctoral fellow at the Givat Ram campus of the same university said, “There is a tense situation in Israel because of the attack, but all the Indian students are safe. Most of the students are staying in dorms and accommodations provided by the institutions. We are in contact with each other as well as the Indian embassy through WhatsApp.”
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has received from the Indian nationals to help them return to India. According to the media, some businessmen are also believed to be stranded in the war-torn country and are looking to be evacuated. Embassy sources told news agencies that they are readily available to all Indian nationals around the clock and have been proactively guiding them.
The Indian mission in Tel Aviv and the Representative Office of India in Palestine on Saturday issued advisories asking Indian nationals on respective sides to “remain vigilant” and “directly contact the Office” in case of an emergency.
According to news agencies, Minister Lekhi also told reporters, “Indian government is striving to bring back stranded students of India from Israel. Prime Minister and his office are monitoring the situation and huge efforts are underway to get back our students who are stuck in that country.”
On Saturday morning, Hamas launched around 5,000 rockets on Israel, the biggest attack on the country in years. According to The Associated Press, more than 40 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza.
Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four Israeli sites from Hamas fighters, including two kibbutzim that militants entered earlier in their attacks. The Israeli military estimated that 1,000 Hamas fighters took part in Saturday’s initial incursion. Israel hit more than 800 targets in Gaza so far, its military said, including airstrikes that leveled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave’s northeast corner.
The declaration of war portended greater fighting ahead, and a major question was whether Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.
(With inputs from agencies)
