The Israeli government has announced that Soumya Santosh, who was killed in the Hamas missile strike in Israel will be granted an honorary citizenship.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Israeli Ambassador Rony Yedidia Clein said that they see her as one of their citizens. Commenting on this, Soumya’s husband Santosh said, “We consider this a great honor for my wife. We have also received information from the embassy officials that our son Adone will be taken care of.”
Honorary citizenship is a status conferred by a city or a government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not imply any change in citizenship or nationality.
Last week, the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin had called up the family of Soumya Santhosh and assured all support
Soumya, from Idukki district in Kerala, was responsible for caring for an elderly woman in Askelan, Israel, near the Gaza border. She was killed in the recent Hamas missile attack.
Soumya has been working in Askelan for the last 7 years and her husband and nine-year-old son are living in Kerala. Soumya was reportedly talking on a video call with her husband and family who were in India at the time of the attack.
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