New Delhi: As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, Indian students and workers in Israel are expressing increasing concern about their safety. Nilabja Roychowdhury, a medical student at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, described the situation as “getting scarier by the day.” He remarked, “The situation is tough… We have not seen something as threatening as this ever.”
Rajesh Medicherla, a caregiver from Telangana, echoed these sentiments, sharing a video of a missile striking a building in Tel Aviv. In a moment of shock, Medicherla, according to The Times Of India, exclaimed in Telugu, "bro… bro… padutundi (brother, it's falling)!" Medicherla added, "It was inconceivable that the missiles would reach as far as Tel Aviv."
The missile attacks on cities including Tel Aviv have left many Indian nationals deeply anxious. Although they remain safe for now, there is a growing fear that the tensions could escalate further. Several research scholars from Bengal are desperate to return home, but most international flights are currently suspended, complicating their efforts. On Wednesday, they awaited evacuation guidance from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Roychowdhury, who resides in Safed in northern Israel, shared a harrowing account to The Times Of India, "A few days ago, a bomb dropped barely 100 metres from a friend's home. A CCTV camera captured the footage. It could have been his house too. The Israel-Hamas conflict last year did not affect us much, but this time it is different."
Northern cities such as Safed and Haifa have been significantly affected, with nearby villages being evacuated and residents forced into bunkers as sirens sound.
Puspur Sarangadhar, another caregiver from Telangana, spoke about the difficult choices he faces. He came to Israel for a lucrative job, earning five times what he made back home, to support his two children’s education. "I have to take care of the educational expenses of my two children," he told The Times Of India, although the ongoing crisis is testing his resolve.
In Ramat Gan, a city in the Tel Aviv district, around 600 to 700 people from Telangana reside. Some had returned to India last month due to fears of retaliation following Israel's strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but many chose to stay.
Haifa, once considered a safer location, is now feeling the brunt of the conflict. Sankhanava Kundu, a PhD student at the University of Haifa, described the terror of living with missile interceptions and explosions. He noted that the Indian embassy has advised them to stay alert and adhere to local safety protocols.