As the Gaza conflict enters its fifth month, Indian nationals residing in the border regions of Israel have been instructed to move to designated safe areas. Indian embassy in Tel Aviv issued this advisory yesterday, just a day after a fellow Indian lost his life in a rocket assault in Margaliot, northern Israel.

The Israeli embassy in India expressed profound shock and sorrow over the loss of life caused by a reprehensible act of terrorism.

“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 Embassy statement read.

Patnibin Maxwell, a native of Kerala in southern India, was identified as the deceased in the incident. Additionally, two other Indian individuals sustained injuries. Following the attack, the embassy reached out to Israeli authorities to guarantee the well-being of Indian nationals, as stated in the advisory.

Israel attributed the airstrikes to Hezbollah, a terrorist group based in Lebanon. These terrorists have been conducting attacks on Israel since October 8, as a show of support for Palestinian terror group Hamas in Gaza.

Many Indians have been lured to Israel in the recent months with lucrative job offers after the country launched its siege of Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attacks that left around 1,100 people dead. In Gaza, more than 30,000 people have been killed since the war began, and the UN has estimated that 570,000 people are starving.

After the start of the counter-terrorism operation in Gaza launched by Israel in response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, a significant number of individuals from India have been contracted to relocate to Israel due to attractive employment opportunities.

Following the Hamas terrorist attack, Israel stopped issuing the work permits to Palestinians guest workers, thereby creating opportunities for laborers from nations like India. According to a report by Indian news agency PTI earlier this year, approximately 10,000 workers were scheduled to journey to Israel for work, mostly in the construction industry.

India has deftly navigated a delicate diplomatic path concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict. While supporting the long-standing Indian position of endorsing a two-state solution, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi promptly denounced heinous Hamas attacks as terrorism, aligning himself with the global condemnation.

Israel has been urging India to officially declare Hamas a terrorist group following the attacks on October 7.The United States, UK, Israel, Australia, Japan, and the European Union have already designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, which has controlled the Gaza enclave since 2007.

Indian Embassy has urged its citizens residing in border areas of the country to relocate to safer places