MANGALURU: “I have been working as a caretaker in Israel for the last 14 years, but have never experienced such a situation where civilians are mercilessly killed and kidnapped. We are resting our hopes on Israeli forces,” said Lenard Fernandes from Vamanjoor near Mangaluru who lives at Herzliya, a coastal city in Israel.
Many Mangalureans working in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramat Hasharon, Ga’ash Kibbutz and other cities in Israel shared their plight with The New Indian Express a day after Hamas soldiers infiltrated into Israel, killed civilians and shot thousands of rockets into one of the most protected countries in the world. “The authorities have told us to remain vigilant and not to venture out,” they added.
“Though the place where I live is safe for now, we saw missiles being fired from Gaza. Few missiles landed near my place, but at least 15 of them were intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the help of Iron Dome (one of the most advanced missile shields),” Lenard said.
‘Following guidelines of Indian embassy’
“We had to rush to mammad, a reinforced security room required in all new buildings by Israeli law, or to shelter rooms. Hamas never targeted civilians before. But this time, they have entered homes and streets and mercilessly killed civilians, including women and children and held them hostage,” Lenard said.
Fr Santhosh, who is living in Jerusalem -- close to the Old City, said the situation is tense but under control. “We are in touch with the Indian embassy and are following their guidelines. Most explosions have occurred in southern cities. We have been asked to remain indoors.”
Praveen Pinto from Kirem near Mangaluru, who has been working in Tel Aviv for the last 16 years, said there was firing on Saturday night and one of the missiles hit a building just 1 km away from his house and injured two Israeli citizens. His wife Neetha, who is back home, said she is in constant touch with her husband and he is safe as of now.
“He told me that on Sunday afternoon, the Israeli government declared a red alert and there are over 500 people from Mangaluru, Udupi and Kundapur region in that country,” said Neetha, who was also working in Israel. Prakash, another Mangalurean also living in Tel Aviv, has been stuck inside a bunker since Saturday. Back home, his family is worried.
“Hamas militants were very close to our room and Israeli forces captured them. We were saved in the nick of time,” said Godwin, a resident of Taccode. When contacted, Fr Francis Xavier said, “I am in the old city of Jerusalem now. My group, which was supposed to fly on Monday morning has been cancelled.’’ Asked about other Indian groups, he said, “I just met one Indian tourist group from Kerala near Jerusalem. They had to wait at Bethlehem border, which is between Israel and Palestine, from early morning till about 3 pm. A wait of about eight-nine hours for what should have taken ten minutes.’’
Helpline for Kannadigas in Israel opened
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Sunday opened a helpline for relatives of those who are stuck in Israel reach out for assistance. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also expressed concern over the volatile
situation in Israel. “In cases of any citizens of India hailing from Karnataka in Israel requiring assistance, reach out to Karnataka State Emergency Operation Centre Helpline numbers: 08022340676, 08022253707,” he posted.