Forty-seven-year-old Anand was on the phone with his wife Sheeja, who works as a caregiver in Israel's Ashkelon, a coastal city 50 km south of Tel Aviv, on the afternoon of Saturday, 7 October, when she suddenly told him: "There's a missile coming this way!"
"She [Sheeja] has been working as a home nurse for an Israeli family for the past year. When we were on the phone on Saturday, she told me she is cleaning the older woman she was caring for. Suddenly, she said that a missile was coming their way – and the phone got cut," Anand, a native of Kerala's Kannur district, told The Quint over the phone on Monday, 9 October.
It was only much later, after a phone call from 41-year-old Sheeja's friend, that Anand got to know she was injured in the attack.
Speaking to The Quint on Wednesday, 11 October, he said that he is currently in contact with Sheeja and that she is "recovering."
As per the latest reports, over 1,000 people have reportedly been killed in Israel while more than 800 died in Gaza after the Palestinian group, Hamas, launched a surprise attack against Israel on Saturday.
The sourthern coastal city of Ashkelon, where Sheeja worked, is merely 20 km from Gaza.
'Want Her To Stay Put in Israel'
Anand told The Quint on Monday that Sheeja "underwent four emergency surgeries – on her leg, hand, chest, and stomach" after the attack. The surgeries were performed at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
She also had to undergo another surgery on her spine, for which she was taken to a hospital in Tel Aviv. "We spoke to her briefly on Sunday [8 October] evening. The hospital authorities said they couldn't do it [the spinal surgery] in that hospital, so they said they were shifting her to another hospital in Tel Aviv."
"She spoke to me again after her surgery. She is doing okay, but she will need physiotherapy," he told The Quint on Wednesday. However, Anand said he wants her to stay put in Israel.
"Right now, the Israeli government is giving her good treatment. I don't know what will be the case if she is brought back to India. We don't have the financial means to take care of her treatment."
"But I want to go to Israel to be with her. I understand there is a war going on, but my priority is to be with her and take care of her," he said.
He then urged the Ministry of External Affairs to help him be with his wife.
In an advisory to Indians in Israel, the Indian Embassy in the country had asked all Indian nationals "to remain vigilant, and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities."
At the time of the attack, Sheeja, the woman she was taking care of, and her son were in the house. All three of them were injured, according to reports from Ashkelon.
'Been Working in Israel for 6-7 Years'
Sheeja has been working in Israel as a home nurse and caregiver in Israel for the past 6-7 years. The couple, who is based in Kannur's Payyavoor, has two daughters, one of whom is a nursing student.
Her mother Sarojini told Manorama News on Monday that her daughter was planning to visit Kerala after two months. "I had a conversation with her through a video call on Saturday morning. But later, her phone was unreachable. Her friends informed us about the incident," Sarojini told the publication.
In May 2021, Soumya Santosh, a 30-year-old caregiver from Kerala's Idukki, was killed in a rocket attack in Ashkelon. Soumya's family had said she was talking to her husband on a video call when the incident took place.
Around 12,000-14,000 Indians work in Israel, mainly as caregivers, according to a report by The Indian Express. Israel as an ESNR [emigration clearance not required] country makes it a sought-after destination for job-seekers, the report explains.
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