In view of the unprecedented war-like situation in the south of Israel, the Indian Embassy in Israel and Palestine on Saturday advised all Indian citizens to “remain alert” and “follow security rules”.
The embassy said in its advisory, “In view of the current situation in Israel, all Indian nationals present in Israel are requested to remain alert and follow safety rules as advised by the local authorities. “Please exercise caution, avoid unnecessary movement and stay close to safe places.”
The advisory has been issued in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. According to details given on the embassy website, there are around 18,000 Indian nationals in Israel, who mainly include people employed to look after Israeli elders, diamond traders, IT professionals and students.
There are also about 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel who went to Israel from India in the fifties and sixties.
Meanwhile, in Ramallah, India’s Representative Office in Palestine posted a public advisory on late Saturday night at You can contact the 24-hour emergency helpline.
Hamas extremists fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip and dispatched dozens of fighters on Saturday in an unprecedented surprise attack early in the morning during a major Jewish holiday, killing at least 200 and wounding 1,100.
Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and has launched airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation. Israel’s National Rescue Service said at least 200 people were killed and 1,100 were injured, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 198 people were killed and at least 1,610 were injured in Israeli retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip.
An evening airstrike in central Gaza city destroyed a 14-storey residential tower, which also houses a Hamas office. Israel had issued a warning some time ago and the number of casualties was not immediately known.
Shortly thereafter, a Hamas rocket attack in central Israel targeted four cities, including Tel Aviv and a nearby suburb, seriously injuring two people.
Experts say the attack on Saturday morning by Hamas, the extremist group that rules the Gaza Strip in the southern parts of Israel, was the result of Israel’s “intelligence failure”.
According to the Israeli military, Hamas terrorists fired more than 2,000 rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets, while hundreds of Hamas fighters entered the Israeli border by air, land and sea.
Hours after the attack began, Hamas militants were still firing into several Israeli neighborhoods. This attack by Hamas has shocked Israel.
Experts say Israel has always been proud of its intelligence agencies, including its domestic unit Shin Bet and especially its external spy agency Mossad, but this attack shows its ‘intelligence failure’.
Some experts believe that Israel became so busy trying to counter Iran and thwart the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program that it neglected its own region.
The Times of Israel quoted Amos Yadlin, a former intelligence chief, as saying that the attack reflected an intelligence failure.
Some experts are also blaming internal divisions within Israel in view of the judicial reform plan launched by the government.
Israeli government officials appeared concerned about Israel’s preparedness in a war-like situation and inspected shelters across the country.
Israel recently agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas, but some experts said warnings were ignored due to domestic political constraints.