An Indian was killed and two other Indians injured in a missile attack by Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border prompting the Indian Embassy there on Tuesday urging its citizens to move to safer areas in Israel. It was the first Indian casualty since the Hamas-Israel conflict began in October last year.
The advisory came shortly after a man hailing from Kollam, Kerala was killed on Monday in the attack on an orchard in Margaliot in north Israel where he was working with some others also hailing from his native State. While the deceased was identified as Nibin Maxwell, the injured were identified as Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin.
“In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel. The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,” the Indian Embassy in Israel said.
The Israel Embassy here said in a statement on Tuesday that two others, also from Kerala, were injured in the “cowardly” attack by Hezbollah. The three were cultivating an orchard at the time of the missile strike, the statement said. The Israel Embassy has said its prayers go out to the families of the dead and the injured.
“Israeli Medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by our very best medical staff. Israel regards equally all nationals, Israeli or foreign, who are injured or killed due to terrorism. We will be there to support the families and offer them assistance,” it said.
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Indian citizen killed in Israel
“Our countries, who are sadly well versed in civilian loss, stand united in hopes of a speedy recovery for the injured and solace for the family of the bereaved,” the statement added.
Israel’s Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, said he had spoken to the brother of the Kerala man killed in the missile strike. “I offered my heartfelt condolences to him and the family and reassured that Israel will be by their side for anything and everything,” he said in a post on X.
The anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon, news agency PTI has reported. The Shia faction of Hezbollah has been carrying out rocket strikes and drone attacks in north Israel in support of Hamas since the war began.
A report by PTI from Kollam said the deceased had gone to Israel only two months ago to work in a poultry farm, according to his father.
Maxwell’s father said it was his elder son who informed him about his younger son’s death. “My elder son called me around 4.30 pm on Monday and told me that Maxwell was injured in the attack and was hospitalised. Later, at around 12.45 am, he told me that my younger son had died,” the father told a TV channel.
He also said Maxwell left behind a four-and-a-half year old daughter and his wife was pregnant. “Maxwell was in Muscat and Dubai earlier and then returned here. Thereafter, he went to Israel. First my elder son went there and a week later my younger son too went there,” he said.
He also said according to his elder son, Maxwell’s body would be brought back to Kerala in four days time as there are some formalities and paperwork to be completed.
The missile hit a plantation in Margaliot, a moshav (collective agricultural community), in the Galilee region in the north of Israel around 11 am on Monday, Zaki Heller, spokesperson for rescue services Magen David Adom (MDA), told PTI.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Shi’ite Hezbollah faction in Lebanon, which has been launching rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel daily since October 8 in support of Hamas amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel-Hamas war has raged on for nearly five months after the October 7 attacks on Israeli cities. Tel Aviv’s brutal counter strike has led to thousands of deaths in the Gaza Strip. New Delhi has said it is deeply troubled by the conflict and the humanitarian crisis it has led to.
At a briefing at the UN General Assembly, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, said “the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children”. “This is simply unacceptable. We have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. India has a longstanding and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” she said.
“India is committed to supporting a two-State solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders with due regard to the security needs of Israel,” she added.
