The family of Soumya Santhosh, 32, who was killed in a mortar attack at Ashkelon on the border with Gaza in Israel on Tuesday evening, was in a shock as she was in a video call with her husband Santhosh when the shells hit her.
Mr. Santhosh's brother Saji living at Keerithode told The Hindu that the shell fell on her while she was talking with her husband at 5.30 p.m. She told him that she was in the grip of fear as intermittent mortar shells from Hamas in Gaza were pounding the residential area. She said that she would soon move to the bunker inside the house for safety and would not know when she could speak to him again. Soon the mortar shell fell there and her voice was cut. What Mr. Santhosh could see on video was only the smoke billowing out. Soon he could not see anything and the video was cut. He anxiously waited for any information from there and soon contacted his sister Sherly who was also working near Ashkelon. She made some enquiries and informed him that Ms. Soumya had died in the attack.
Ms. Soumya was working as a housemaid caring for an old woman at Ashkelon. She had visited Keerithode one-and-a-half-years back after moving to Israel 10 years back. She had planned to come to last year but postponed the trip because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Saji said that his sisters were still there and waiting for the official information on the tragedy and efforts were on to bring her body back.
Mr. Santhosh and her child Adon were living at Keerithode. She had her schooling at Sree Narayana High School, Keerithode.
Earlier, District Collector H. Dinesan said that he was waiting for official information on the tragedy and would soon contact her family.