Tel Aviv: Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has resulted in over 1,800 casualties and numerous injuries, Indian residents in Israel have expressed significant apprehension and raised inquiries regarding certain political parties and organisations that are expressing support for the militant group.

They’ve also raised concerns about what they perceive as biased media reporting by specific national and regional news outlets. According to these people, this media coverage takes a one-sided stance on the matter and attempts to mislead the public by suggesting that the entire conflict commenced with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) targeting civilians and children in Gaza.

The Indians residing in various quarters of the terror-hit nation who spoke to The New Indian shared their views and concerns on the political stance and the reactions in social media that were outpouring following the unprecedented terror attack last Saturday. All those who spoke condemned the position of the political parties who vowed their support for Palestine but did not mention Israel.

Reena Francis, a caretaker and vlogger, settled in Jerusalem for the past five years, said, “It is extremely shocking that the opposition congress and the CPI(M) have openly supported the Hamas and those aligning with these terrorists even after it is public knowledge that it was the Hamas terrorists along with the support of Iran, Hezbollah, and other militant groups that have killed innocent children and women and made the videos public.

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“This is very evident that the support is offered only for vote bank politics and to appease one community. This is happening in my home state Kerala shows exactly what is going to happen there in the future.”

Highlighting how the Indian media has been “defaming Israel,” she said, “How can such an anti-national mindset prevail in a country like India when they can see on television the barbaric act of Hamas? The media that is supposed to report the real facts is glorifying the acts of the militants and are giving wrong facts and figures.

“Media is trying to malign the image of Israel and its intelligence agencies by blaming Mossad, the intelligence agency saying that the agency was a failure in detecting the infiltration from the border. The fact is it is ‘Bashak’ which is guarding the borders and not the Mossad.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Jomon Varghese, a caretaker living in South Israel’s Ashkelon. She said that the support pouring from India for Hamas, especially from a few organisations, is a matter of concern.

“It’s highly condemnable that politicians from the mainstream parties have openly supported Hamas by passing a resolution in the name of ‘We stand with Palestine’. This clearly shows their mindsets and how ignorant they are towards the terror unleashed by the militant groups,” said Varghese.

Jency Binoy, a caretaker living near the Tel Aviv airport, feels that it is extremely distressing to find the support pouring in for Hamas and also trying to build up a narrative that it was Israel and its forces who were targeting civilians.

“We are appealing to the entire world to stand with Israel and pray for us. It is extremely distressing that a section of political leaders and parties are now rallying behind Hamas and Palestine. Either they are ignorant of the real facts or they are misguided.

“My grandfather was one among those who had fought for the existence of this country. They had shelled their blood and sweat for building this nation after they settled here from India. It’s highly worrying and concerning that there are a number of organisations and groups in my home state Kerala which has rallied behind Hamas and their cause,” Binoy said.

There are nearly 18,000 Indians residing across Israel. Of the total, nearly 7,000 are from Kerala. There is a large section of Indians who are employed as caretakers in Israel.

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On Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of Indians in Israel.

In the meantime, Israel conducted airstrikes over Gaza throughout the night into Wednesday. Retaliatory attacks, according to Gaza’s health ministry, have resulted in the deaths of at least 900 people and injuries to 4,600, further devastating communities in the densely populated coastal region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “though Israel did not start this war,” it is determined to finish it.

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