As the news of Palestinian militant group Hamas declaring a new military operation against Israel and firing a barrage of missiles towards the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip broke out, tension gripped numerous Kerala homes that have their family members eking out a living in the country.

A Keralite settled in Israel, who came live on TV channels, said since Saturday morning many Malayalee nurses in Israel are a worried lot. “According to estimates, there are around 6,000 Keralaites, mostly nurses. In many places there are bunkers and many have started to move into it and are eagerly waiting for this impasse to end,” said the Keralaite.