Indian TV Actor Recounts Israel Horror After Family Shot Dead By Hamas

Actor Madhura Naik has lost her cousin sister and brother-in-law in the brutal Hamas attack in Israel on Saturday. The two were driving back to their father's home when they were caught by the Hamas operatives and shot dead.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Ms Naik -- whose mother is from Israel -- recounted the nightmare of Saturday, when they did not know what happened to her cousin. "The situation on Saturday was terrible, we had lost contact with my sister and her husband. The next morning we found out that they were declared dead," she said.

The bodies were recovered on Sunday, the funeral is scheduled for today

Ms Naik has a number of relatives there, whom she has been trying to convince to take a flight to India as part of the Centre's evacuation operation that started today.

"I have been trying to convince them to at least send the kids... But it is complicated... They are Israelis with Indian origin. So we don't know how it will work," she told NDTV.

Around 1,200 people were shot dead by Hamas operatives on Saturday as the group breached the formidable Gaza boundary and attacked towns and villages. Israel said they had butchered the people -- even elderly women and children, young men and women attending a music festival.

Videos from the spot showed bodies and body parts all over, some shot as they sat in cars. Over 150 people -- Israelis and other nationalities -- have been abducted. Some of the bodies have also been carried away by Hamas.

The Israel government has now formed a team headed by a General to coordinate with the families whose loved ones have been abducted.
Israel has retaliated with a declaration of war against Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Its air strikes have so far killed around 1,200 people, reports say.

Israel announced a "complete siege" on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies. The Palestinian territory's sole power plant shut down on Wednesday after running out of fuel.