Madhura Naik recalls family's encounter with Hamas militants in Israel, calls it ‘darkest day’: They live under fear
Madhura Naik said that “hate breeds enmity and terrorism”. She added that people must “do everything to stop this terrorism”.
Television actor Madhura Naik, on the occasion of Israel marking the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks, recalled her family's harrowing encounter with militants last year in Israel and termed it as "the darkest day." The actor, who is a Jew of Indian origin, said that she lost her first cousin and her brother-in-law in a crossfire in Sderot during the attacks on Israel last year. (Also Read | Naagin actor Madhura Naik says her sister, brother-in-law were 'murdered in cold blood' in Israel by Hamas)
Speaking at an event in New Delhi organised by the Israeli Embassy, Naik said, "We follow Judaism, but along with that, we also have adapted to Hindu traditions, thus proving that the Jews were always open to cross-cultures and adapted very well to new environments. My grandmother, being the 14th child, 13 of her brothers and sisters, moved back to Israel in the 70s, where they flourished back in their homeland along with their fellow Jews. It was more than just a sense of belonging. It was home for them. But unfortunately, on October 7, it was the darkest day for my family. "
"They were the victims of October 7. I lost my first cousin and her husband in a crossfire in Sderot, Israel. They were brutally murdered in front of their two daughters, six and three years old. The six-year-old, the last words before getting rescued by the Israeli police, she said, ‘Are you the Israeli police? Please save the kid next to me’," she added.
The actor said that hatred breeds terrorism and it knows no religion, race or gender. "Imagine a six-year-old having to experience the murder of her very own mother and her father and still being aware that she had to save the three-year-old baby next to her. They were rescued by the Israeli police amidst a brutal crossfire that went on for a couple of hours. An Israeli policeman was brutally injured during this rescue. The children were drenched in the blood of their own parents. This incident tore my family apart. And there are things that we could never change and things that we'll never be able to replace. Also during this crossfire, an Arab Muslim man tried to save my sister and the kids to drive them out of the crossfire. But to his fate, they killed him too, regardless of his religion, his race, and that he was very much one of them, an Arab Muslim man. So their terror knows no religion, or race, or gender, nor age," she said, recounting the agony faced by her family.
"They now live under constant fear and threat of losing their lives, and we are under constant pressure to protect them. As far as I have seen in this long one year of struggle and war, hate breeds hatred. And hate breeds enmity. And hate breeds terrorism. And we must do everything in our power to stop this terrorism, once and for all. Enough of this terror and enough wars," she added.
Madhura is a Jewish of Indian origin in Israel and is a television actor by profession. Her cousin sister and her sister's husband were murdered in front of their children by armed Hamas militants at a time when southern Israel was in chaos in the wake of the deadly attacks of October 7.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar said, "One year ago, October 7 shook our being. It took a few hours to grasp the terrible atrocities happening in our southern border. Israel will prevail. We will defeat our enemies. We will bring back hostages. We will work hard to learn from our mistakes."
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 militants breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure to eliminate the entire group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in this war. The war has spiralled into the region lately, with Houthi rebels in Yemen also targeting Israel and other countries in the Red Sea.
