‘We are apprehensive of the situation but we will stay on’: Lankans in Israel
Sri Lanka’s representative in Palestine says Mission is in daily contact with 17 Lankans in Gaza
As diplomatic efforts continue to avert the conflict between Israel and Hamas from spiralling into a wider Middle East war, Sri Lankans in Israel say that while they are apprehensive about developments, they have no intention of leaving.
More than 90% of the 8,000 Sri Lankans working in Israel are caregivers, taking care of the elderly, the disabled and those with special needs. For these workers, leaving their posts is not a straightforward one, as this would mean leaving behind people under their care, who, in many cases, are wholly dependent on them.
One caregiver (48), originally from Moratuwa and currently working in a village near the northern Israeli city of Haifa, said they were out of range of Hamas rockets. The fear in this region is that the conflict in Gaza will drag in the powerful militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. “We are 140–150 km from Gaza, but only 50km from Lebanon. Therefore, if a conflict were to break out with Hezbollah, whose fighters are both better armed and better trained than Hamas, the results could be horrific,” he said.
In recent days, exchanges of fire between Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military have grown more frequent, prompting Israeli authorities on Friday (20) to announce that they would evacuate 20, 000 residents from one of the country’s biggest towns on the northern border with Lebanon.
Sanjeewa Weerasinghe (48), who works as a caregiver near Jerusalem, said that while a few rockets have fallen close to the city, life goes on, though people noticeably go out less. He said he had received more than 250 calls from worried friends and relatives back home in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the attacks on October 7. “People back home think this is a war between Israel and Palestine, but it is really between Israel and Hamas, which is only a single terrorist group,” he claimed.
While Israel’s “iron dome” missile defence system has been able to intercept the overwhelming majority of rockets from Gaza, Mr. Weerasinghe said there is still concern that a stray rocket might get through the defences. This has happened on several occasions since the conflict began. He said this was a risk Sri Lankans, who lived through their own 30-year war, were willing to take. “We have come here because we can’t afford to live in Sri Lanka. This country has been good to us. As far as I know, no Sri Lankan has left their jobs and returned home due to the conflict thus far.”
Another caregiver in Haifa, who has more than 14, 000 followers on his Facebook page, said the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod and Sderot, which are all close to the border with Gaza, are being frequently targeted by rockets. Sri Lankans are working in all three cities. “Some of the homes don’t have safe rooms in the event of attacks, and newly arrived caregivers who are working in such homes naturally feel scared and unsure about what to do. When they reach out to us, we advise them on what measures they can take to keep both their patients and themselves safe from harm,” he explained.
He too said the fear among many is that the conflict would escalate into a wider war, which would suck in not just other militant groups but neighbouring countries such as Iran and Syria, which are hostile to Israel. “We don’t know what the future holds, but there is confidence in the security forces here,” he stressed.
Israeli police have so far confirmed the death of one Sri Lankan from the October 7 attacks. She is Anula Ratnayake from Eriyawetiya, Kelaniya. The family of the 49-year-old mother of two has been in contact with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel and has provided officials with distinguishing marks that would help them identify her remains, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel Nimal Bandara told the Sunday Times. He said embassy officials hope to make a formal identification of the body in the next few days based on this information. The remains will be repatriated to Sri Lanka thereafter.
Ambassador Bandara was among a group of foreign diplomats who were taken by Israeli officials on Friday (20) to visit villages that were attacked by Hamas during its assault from Gaza.
There is still no word on the whereabouts of Sujith Bandara Yatawara (48) from Wennappuwa, who went missing following the attacks. He had been in Israel for the past six years. His wife says she last heard from him on the morning of October 7 and that she could hear the sound of large explosions at the time.
Meanwhile, as Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza with airstrikes and artillery in preparation for an imminent ground invasion, the government is making efforts to evacuate a group of Sri Lankans who are trapped there.
There are 17 Sri Lankans from three families currently in Gaza, Sri Lanka’s representative in Palestine, Nawalage Bennet Cooray, told the Sunday Times. He said the Sri Lankan Mission in Ramallah is in daily contact with the families, and they were all safe for the moment.
Arrangements have already been made to move the families out as soon as the situation allows, he said.
Getting the families out of Gaza, however, depends on the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing into Egypt. Located in the southern part of the Gaza strip, the Rafah Crossing is the only way to cross into Egypt and is the only point not controlled by Israel where civilians can enter and leave Gaza by land. The crossing has become even more significant given the total blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. Several Israeli airstrikes have hit near the crossing point in recent days, damaging access roads linking the Egyptian and Gaza sides of the crossing.
Under a deal worked out between the US and Egypt, arrangements have been made to reopen the crossing to dispatch a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza under the supervision of the United Nations. Once the crossing reopens, Egypt is also expected to let through foreigners and dual nationals wishing to leave Gaza. Ambassador Cooray said they were awaiting word on when that would happen.
In Sri Lanka, police continue to provide extra security for Israeli tourists. An officer from the Tourist Police said police have increased mobile patrols along the southern coast, where most Israeli tourists are currently staying. There have been no major security incidents reported, he added.