Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Mar 07, 2026

Israeli President Speaks To Family Of Indian Woman Killed In Hamas Strike

Israeli President Speaks To Family Of Indian Woman Killed In Hamas Strike

Soumya Santosh, who hailed from Kerala's Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday spoke to the family of the Indian caregiver who was killed on May 11 in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, and conveyed his condolences.

Soumya Santosh, 30, who hailed from Kerala's Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.

She was talking to her husband Santhosh over a video call in the evening on May 11 when a rocket fired from Gaza directly hit the house where she was working.

The details of the conversation the Israeli President had with the family were not available but an Adviser to Rivlin confirmed to PTI that "it did take place".

The Indian caregiver was living and working in Israel for the last seven years. She has a nine-year-old son whom she had left with her husband in Kerala.

Her 80-year-old elderly charge survived the direct hit on the house and was hospitalised.

The rocket shelter was at least a minute's run away from the woman's home and the pair could not manage to reach it in time. The home lacked a fortified room of its own.

Ms Soumya's body were sent to India on May 14 in a specially arranged flight and reached her hometown the next day.

Israel's Ambassador to India, Dr. Ron Malka, also spoke to the family last week to express his sorrow over the incident.

"On behalf of the state of Israel, I convey heartfelt condolences to the family of Ms. Soumya Santosh, murdered by Hamas indiscriminate terror attack on innocent lives. Our hearts are crying with her 9 years old son that lost his mother in this cruel Terrorist attack," Malka said in a tweet.

"I just spoke to the family of Ms Soumya Santosh, the victim of the Hamas terrorist strike. I expressed my sorrow for their unfortunate loss & extended my condolences on behalf of the state of Israel. The whole country is mourning her loss & we are here for them," he tweeted.

The attack reminded him of little Moshe who lost his parents in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Israeli envoy said.

"My heart goes out to her 9-year-old son, Adon, who has lost his mother at such a young age and will have to grow up without her.

This evil attack reminds me of little Moses, who also lost his parents during the 2008 #Mumbaiattacks. May God give them strength and courage," Malka added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran While Expanding Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Widening Middle East War
Iran’s President Rejects U.S. Surrender Demand as Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Gulf States
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drone Swarm Targeting Strategic Shaybah Oil Field
Pakistan Faces Growing Pressure to Balance Ties With Iran and Saudi Arabia as Regional War Intensifies
Middle East Conflict Tests Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision to Transform Saudi Arabia Into a Global Hub
Proposed U.S.–Saudi Nuclear Deal Could Ease Traditional Nonproliferation Requirements
Iran Claims Strike on U.S.-Linked Oil Tanker Near Saudi Waters as Maritime Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Says Air Defences Destroyed 23 Drones and Three Missiles Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran Against ‘Miscalculation’ After Missile and Drone Attacks Across Gulf
Iranian Missiles Intercepted Across Gulf as Air Defences Activate in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
Iran Launches Fresh Missile and Drone Attacks Across Middle East as Regional War Intensifies
Saudi Arabia Opens Direct Communication Channel With Iran in Bid to Prevent Wider Regional War
Saudi Arabia Maintains Strong Fiscal Position Despite Global Uncertainty, Finance Ministry Says
Saudi Arabia Considers Response After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Major Northern Oil Refinery
Saudi Carrier Flynas Plans Limited Flight Resumption to Dubai Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia and UAE Pledge Close Coordination to Secure Oil Supplies for Japan
Middle East Conflict Casts Doubt Over Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races
Iran Rejects Claims of Attacks on Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Strikes Targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Matches Despite Escalating Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Redirect Oil Exports as Gulf Storage Nears Capacity
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues Emergency Security Alert After Drone Strike and Escalating Regional Threats
Iran Expresses Gratitude to Saudi Arabia for Closing Airspace During Escalating Conflict
Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Strikes Could Target Senior Leaders as Regional War Escalates
Iran Says Its Strikes Target Only U.S. Military Assets and Denies Attacking Saudi Arabia
Drone Strike Hits U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as Middle East Conflict Escalates
Tom Brady’s Saudi Flag Football Event May Shift to U.S. as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Plans
Iran War Strikes Saudi Arabia at a Critical Moment for Its Economic Transformation
Saudi Cabinet Declares Kingdom Will Take All Necessary Measures to Defend National Security
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Fourteen Middle Eastern Countries as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery Targeted Again in Second Drone Attack Within Two Days
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Fixtures Despite Rising Middle East Conflict
Trump Pursues Major Civil Nuclear Agreement With Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Turmoil
Mass Drone Attacks Strike Gulf States as Iran Conflict Spreads Across Region
No Verified Confirmation of Ronaldo Departure Linked to Iran Conflict or AFC Suspension
No Verified Evidence of Israeli Intelligence Arrests in Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Drone Attack Forces Temporary Shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Largest Oil Refinery
Israel Intensifies Air Campaign in Tehran as Iran Expands Regional Retaliation
Iranian Strikes Escalate Middle East Conflict, Drawing Saudi Arabia Closer to Wider War
No Verified Confirmation of Drone Strike on King Fahd Causeway Amid Regional Tensions
No Verified Evidence Saudi Crown Prince Is Seeking to Weaken Israel Amid Regional Tensions
×