Israel: Kerala woman killed in Palestinian rocket strike on Ashkelon

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Ramya Patelkhana

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Last updated on May 12, 2021, 01:50 pm

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A woman hailing from Kerala and working in Israel, who was identified as Soumya Santhosh, has been killed in a rocket attack allegedly launched by Palestinian militant organization Hamas. According to her family members in Kerala, a rocket fell on the 31-year-old woman's residence in the city of Ashkelon while she was on a video call with her husband. Here are more details.

Soumya had been working in Israel for 7 years

Soumya, who hailed from Keerithodu in Kerala's Idukki district, had been working in Israel for the past seven years. She was reportedly working as a caregiver for an elderly woman in Ashkelon. She is survived by her husband Santhosh and a nine-year-old son.

Her husband heard loud explosion before call got disconnected

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Soumya's husband Santhosh reportedly heard a loud explosion before the video call got disconnected. "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," Santhosh's brother Saji was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Palestinian militants launched hundreds of rockets since Monday evening

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The southern Israeli city of Ashkelon—that borders the Gaza Strip in Palestine—has come under a massive fire from Hamas militants based in Gaza as the Israel-Palestine conflict continues to escalate. According to reports, the Palestinian militants have launched hundreds of rockets on Israel since Monday evening. And, as of 9:00pm (local time) on Tuesday, at least 31 people lost their lives in the violence.

MoS External Affairs expresses grief over Soumya's demise

On Soumya's death in the Hamas terror attack, Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, tweeted that he has spoken with her family to convey his condolences and expressed grief over her tragic demise. He said he has assured all possible assistance to her family. "We have condemned these attacks and the violence in Jerusalem, and urged restraint by both sides," he tweeted.

Assured all possible assistance: Muraleedharan

Israel's Ambassador to India condoles her death

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Ron Malka, the Ambassador of Israel to India, took to Twitter to condole Soumya's death. He said he has also spoken to her family and extended condolences on behalf of Israel. "My heart goes out to her 9-yr-old son, Adon who has lost his mother at such a young age & will have to grow up without her (sic)," Malka added.

Here's what Malka posted on Twitter