Indian scholars stuck in Israel amid the Hamas militant group attacks on the country shared their plight indeed as the Indian embassy in Israel and Palestine issued advisories for all its citizens to”remain watchful”.
Members of the Israeli security forces walk along a debris- bestrew road in Tel Aviv, after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip( AFP).
image source – nbc news
Terrifying Ordeal – Students share their Experiences
“I’m very nervous and scared.Thankfully we’ve got shelter and Israeli police forces working hard. So far, we’re safe.We’re in touch with the Indian embassy officers, we’ve a good Indian community around and we’re connected, ” an Indian pupil in Israel Gokul Manavalan told news agency ANI.
Another pupil Vimal Krishnasamy Manivannan Chitra said the attack was “ very tense and scary ”. Indian embassy is in touch with us.
Sharing his situation at the moment the attack was launched, a pupil Aditya Karunanithi Nivedita said, “ It was all very sudden we didn’t anticipate it, because there are religious leaves in Israel going on. We got the enchantresses beforehand in the morning at around 530 am. We were in the cellar for around 7- 8 hours and the enchantresses went off. We’re asked to stay inside our homes.”
According to a pupil studying at the Hebrew University in Israel, they’re staying in dorms and lodgings are being handed over by the council.
Escalating Violence
An Indian public working in Israel for the 18th time, Soma Ravi, told news agency PTI “ moment was a very delicate day, we’ve no way seen a situation( like this). Within 20 twinkles, 5,000 rockets were fired, and they (Hamas zealots) killed 22 people while 500 were injured. This is a veritably delicate situation for the country.
Casualties
”In an unknown surprise attack on Saturday morning, dozens of Hamas zealots broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli states, killing and kidnapping several people. According to the rearmost data by the Israeli media, at least 300 people have been killed, while over 1,500 have been wounded in one of the deadliest attacks. 232 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and around 1,700 wounded in Israeli strikes, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Hamas’ Motivation – ‘Operation Al – Aqsa Storm’
Reportedly, the Hamas service commander Muhammad Al – Deif called the attack ‘ operation Al- Aqsa Storm ’ and said that the assault on Israel was a response to attacks on women, the discretion of the al- Aqsa synagogue in Jerusalem, and the ongoing siege of Gaza.
Embassy’s Advisory
The Indian embassy in Jerusalem and the Representative Office of India in Palestine on Saturday issued advisories asking Indian citizens in separate countries to “ remain watchful” and “ directly communicate with the Office ” in case of exigency.
“Keeping in mind the current situation in Israel, all Indian citizens there are requested to observe safety protocols as advised by authorities. Practice Caution, avoid gratuitous movement, and stay close to safety harbors, ” the Embassy said in its advisory- issued in English, Hindi and the other regional languages.
The advisory also gave applicable phone figures in case of exigency and also handed URLs for Israeli Home Front Command and Preparedness leaflets.
Indian Community in Israel
According to the details on the embassy website, there are about 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, primarily caretakers employed by Israeli elders, diamond dealers, IT professionals, and scholars. Meanwhile, there are also roughly 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel who were part of the main swells of immigration into Israel from India in the fifties and sixties.
