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Indian scientist in Israel ‘locked in shelter’ amid missile attacks: ‘It's exhausting’
An Indian woman, based in Israel, rushed to a bomb shelter with her family to escape missile salvos from Iran on Saturday
An Indian woman, based in Israel, rushed to a bomb shelter with her family to escape missile salvos from Iran on Saturday, and has since been sharing glimpses of life underground. Suchismita Muduli Baron, a scientist in the Israeli city of Beersheba, is among millions hoping for a quick end to the conflict that began when the US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran.
“Locked in shelter”
On Saturday, the Odisha-born woman shared an Instagram video that shows her, her husband and their two children taking refuge inside a shelter. “Locked in a shelter. Staying strong and protecting each other. Hoping for better days ahead,” she wrote.
Suchismita Baron is among thousands of Israelis who spent Saturday in and out of shelters. From her posts, it is not clear whether she was at a public bomb shelter.
The India-born scientist showed glimpses of shelter life in her social media posts. In one video, she and her family sat down to a simple meal of what appeared to be pasta. The entire family sat on bedsheets spread on the floor and ate off of disposable plates.
In another clip, her children were seen napping on bunk beds. Baron admitted that the family has not been sleeping well due to anxiety.
“Sleep feels different these days. We don’t fully rest — we stay alert, listening, waiting. It’s exhausting, but as a mother, I don’t have the option to fall apart. I choose strength. I choose calm. I choose hope. And I pray tomorrow feels lighter,” she wrote.
Bomb shelters in Israel
Bomb shelters are a routine part of civilian life in Israel, shaped by decades of conflict and missile threats. They are reinforced protective spaces designed to shield people from rockets, missiles, shrapnel and, in some cases, chemical attacks.
Unlike in many countries where shelters are rare or limited to government buildings, in Israel they are often built into homes, schools, offices and public spaces as a matter of law and daily preparedness.
For the past two-and-a-half years, Israelis have become familiar with bomb shelters after fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and a 12-day war last June against Iran.
(Also read: Bengaluru CEO forced to cancel Dubai trip, thanks Air India for flying him home: ‘Wrong time’)
The country’s layered system of air-raid sirens, bomb shelters and missile defenses has blunted the toll of attacks, but not entirely, reported the Associated Press. Israel’s rescue service, Magen David Adom, said late Saturday that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being injured in an Iranian strike. It said it had treated at least 90 people with light injuries across Israel, as well as one man who was seriously injured.
(With inputs from AP)
