Patnibin (31), who was calling from Galilee, northern Israel, chatted to his seven-month-pregnant wife Seyona, joked with his five-year-old daughter, Amiya, and then spoke to his father, admitting that the chicken farm at Margaliot, a moshav (collective agricultural community)where he worked, was no longer safe.
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Hours later Patnibin was dead, killed in a cross-border anti-tank missile attack by the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah. Seven others, including two other Keralites, Joseph George (from Vazathope) and Paul Melvin (from Vagamon), were injured in the attack.
Patnibin’s father, Pathrose Maxwell, revealed there had been a similar cross-border attack two weeks ago in the same locality and he had advised his son to move to a safer zone. “However, he could not as he did not get consent from his sponsor,” Pathrose told TOI. “My elder son, Nivin, who is also in Israel, called me around 4.30pm on Monday and told me that Nibin was injured in the attack and hospitalised. Later, around 12.45am, he told me that Nibin had died,” Pathrose said.
Patnibin had moved to Galilee just two months ago to work on the farm on an attractive salary. Raised in a poor family — his father is a daily-wage labourer — he was excited about going to Israel, believing his future was now secure. After securing a diploma in electrical engineering from Chavara ITI, Patnibin had moved to Muscat, where he had worked in an ice plant, and later shifted to Dubai to work in a manpower supply company. His wife, Seyona, is a nurse by profession but not working at present. “Seyona’s sister and my eldestson, Nivin Maxwell, work in Israel. They had arranged an agricultural visa for five years for Nibin to work there,” Pathrose said.
Hezbollah shelled the farm in Galilee on Monday afternoon and Patnibin and the other injured were rushed to a hospital nearby. His body is currently at Sieve Hospital. “We have been informed the body will be taken to Tel Aviv on Wednesday and in four days it can be brought here,” said Pathrose.
Hezbollah has been launching attacks on Israel’s northern communities and military posts since Oct 8 last year, saying it is doing so to support Palestinians in Gaza. Skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah have so far resulted in the deaths of seven civilians and 10 Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers.IDF said on Monday they responded by targeting the launch site with artillery.
Patnibin was the second of Pathrose’s three sons. “His death has come as such a shock. Israel and its enemies should give utmost priority to the safety of foreign nationals and must move them to safer locations immediately,” said Pathrose.
India’s embassy in Israel issued an advisory on Tuesday urging its nationals to move to safer areas in Israel. “In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indian nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel,” the mission said in an advisory on various social media platforms.