IDUKKI: The funeral of Soumya Suresh, 30, who was killed in a mortar attack at Ashkelon, Israel last Tuesday, was held at Nithya Sahaya Matha Church, Keerithodu in Idukki on Sunday afternoon.
The funeral prayers were led by Mar John Nellikunnel, bishop of the Eparchy of Idukki. The function was held adhering to Covid-19 protocol with only 20 people attending, officials said.
Jonathan Zadka, consul general, Consulate General of Israel, Bengaluru, visited Soumya's home at Keerithodu, a village in Idukki, to pay his last respects.
In his short speech, Zadka said Soumya was an angel who was killed in a cowardly attack. He also promised Israeli government's full support to Soumya's family, especially her 9-year-old son.
"CG, @Jonathan_Zadka, paid a visit to the family of Soumya Santhosh who lost her life during #Hamasattack on #Israel. On behalf of the Israeli people, @israelinbenguluru extends its condolences to the family at loss. We hope peace restores soon," the Consulate General of Israel to Bengaluru said in a tweet.
"Honoured to pay my respects and convey our sympathies to the family and friends of Soumya Santosh as she was laid to rest in her home town Keerithod, Kerala. May she RIP our prayers are with the family that lost an angel in a cowardly hamas terror attack," Zadka tweeted.
Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose, who was in Kochi to receive the body of Soumya on Saturday, was also present at her home and later at the church.
Soumya worked as a caregiver attending to an elderly woman at a house in Ashkelon, a southern Israeli coastal city, bordering the Gaza Strip, which has come under massive fire from the Palestinian militants. At least 31 people were killed in the attack.
The ongoing violence between Israel and Palestine marks a dramatic escalation of tensions linked to the potential eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem by Israeli settlers and access to one of the most sacred sites in the city, which is a key hub for Islam, Judaism and Christianity.