The funeral of Soumya Santosh, the Indian nurse, who was killed in a rocket attack by Palestine in Israel's Ashkelon, was held at Nithya Sahaya Matha Church, Keerithodu in Idukki on Sunday afternoon, media reports said. The mortal remains of Soumya Santosh, who was killed last Tuesday in the attack, arrived in Keerithodu, her native village on Saturday.

The funeral was held following Covid-19 protocol with only 20 people attending, officials said.

Jonathan Zadka, consul general, Consulate General of Israel, Bengaluru, visited Soumya's home in her native village to pay his last respects to the deceased.

On Saturday, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Israeli deputy envoy Rony Yedidia Clein paid their tributes after her body reached New Delhi in a chartered Israeli plane.

The body was subsequently flown to Kochi in an Air India aircraft and then taken to Idukki.

"CG, @Jonathan_Zadka, paid a visit to the family of Soumya Santhosh who lost her life during #Hamasattack on #Israel. On behalf of the Israeli people, @israelinbenguluru extends its condolences to the family at loss. We hope peace restores soon," the Consulate General of Israel to Bengaluru said in a tweet.

"Honoured to pay my respects and convey our sympathies to the family and friends of Soumya Santosh as she was laid to rest in her home town Keerithodu, Kerala. May she RIP our prayers are with the family that lost an angel in a cowardly hamas terror attack," Zadka tweeted.

Soumya was working as a caregiver to an elderly lady in Israel's Ashkelon, a southern coastal city, bordering the Gaza Strip.

The city has come under a massive mortar attack, in which 31 people have been killed.

According to a Times of India report, Soumya's sister-in-law Sheryl Benny said the house where Soumya stayed did not have a bunker though rocket attacks are common in Israel and everybody moves into them as soon as they hear the siren warning them of an attack.

Soumya was waiting for the daughter of the elderly woman to arrive and couldn't leave her immediately even as the bombing started, the report added.

On Thursday, Israel's Deputy Envoy to India Rony Yedidia Clein said that the Israeli authorities will take care of Soumya's family. "The family will be taken care of by the Israeli authorities in compensation for what happened, although nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a mother and wife," Clein said.(SAM)