Foreign Ministry: 3 Ukrainians killed, 9 injured in Hamas attack on Israel

The number of Ukrainians killed in Hamas' attack on Israel has risen to three, Oleh Nikolenko, the spokesperson of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, reported on Oct. 11.

Nine more Ukrainian citizens have been injured in the hostilities; their condition and place of hospitalization are being clarified, the official said.

Ukrainian diplomats and Israeli law enforcement are working together to establish the whereabouts of six missing Ukrainians, according to Nikolenko.

The spokesperson also said that the injured Ukrainian child who was evacuated from the city of Sderot is recovering after a successful surgery.

"(The boy) is under the embassy's care and is provided with all the necessary medical and psychological support," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

Ukrainian authorities have already processed over 1,000 appeals for assistance from Ukrainian citizens in Israel and the Gaza Strip, he added.

Some 700 Ukrainians are unable to leave Israel due to canceled flights, and around 170 citizens have requested to be evacuated from Gaza, Nikolenko reported.

There is a large Ukrainian community in Israel, estimated by the Foreign Ministry as being around 500,000, most of whom left Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nikolenko said earlier that there are currently 14,000 Ukrainian citizens listed on the consular register of Ukraine's embassy in Israel.

Hamas launched an attack of unprecedented scale on Israel on Oct. 7, infiltrating Israeli territory on the ground and with ultralight aircraft while bombing Israeli settlements.

In response, the Israeli military launched an offensive against Gaza and declared a blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

At the time of this publication, fighting in Israel and in Gaza was still underway.

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