‘Safe so far’: Indians in Israel wake up to sirens, panic calls from home

Jiby Yohannan from Kerala, who lives 8 km away from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, said that while local residents were used to sporadic missile strikes, Saturday’s attack had caught everyone off-guard.

“When tension escalates, we watch missile attacks, and see how they are being intercepted and destroyed by the Iron Dome (Israel’s air defence system). But this time, the attack was from those who infiltrated the country by road. The assailants mainly targeted people on the road,” he said.

Smoke is seen in the Rehovot area as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, in Israel October 7, 2023. (Reuters)

Yohannan, a native of Kerala’s Idukki district, said the assailants came in vehicles and sprayed bullets on civilians out on streets. “Jews have been observing Simchat Torah (a Jewish holiday) and Sabbath (day of religious observance) since Friday evening. Only a few people were out,” he said.

He said the Indian community in the country was “safe, so far”.

“The Israel Defence Force has issued an alert to all people to return to the safety of bunkers in the wake of the attack from Hamas (the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip). We were advised not to venture out. Heavy shelling had happened in the morning hours. Normally, casualties of this magnitude do not happen on the Israel side. This time, civilians were targeted,” he said.

According to The New York Times, around 70 Israelis were reported dead by emergency medical groups. Israel has retaliated with strikes on Gazan cities, and at least 198 Palestinians were killed in either gun battles or airstrikes, the Gazan Health Ministry said.

An emergency personnel works to extinguish the fire after rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel October 7, 2023. (Reuters)

Shyni Babu, who has worked as a caregiver in Israel for the last 13 years, said friends and relatives in Kerala were calling her in panic. “We are getting panic calls from families and friends in Kerala. But the situation improved in the afternoon,” she said.

“Being caregivers to the elderly, we seldom go outside. So, as of now, we are all safe. All the houses have bunkers and we return to safety on hearing alarms,” she added.

Around 12,000-14,000 Indians work in Israel, mainly as caregivers. What makes the job of a caregiver in Israel attractive for nurses in India is the easy immigration process and better salary. There is a big demand for Israeli visas in Kerala as Israel is an ECNR (emigration clearance not required) country. Those aspiring for the job of caregivers need not clear IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or OET (Occupational English Test) — they only need to attend a short-term course in Hebrew.

In May 2021, 32-year-old Soumya Santhosh from Kerala was killed in Israel after shelling from Gaza. She had been employed as a caregiver in the Israeli city of Ashkelon. She was hit by the attack while on a video call with her husband, who was in Idukki.