Actress says her cousin, brother-in-law killed amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Describing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict as "horrible", actress Madhura Naik on Wednesday said her family is yet to come to terms with the untimely demise of her cousin and brother-in-law, who were killed amid the strife last week.

In an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, Naik, who called herself a Jew of Indian origin, claimed that two of her family members were killed on October 7.

"Everyone is in shock right now. Nobody knows what the situation is going to be like. It is a very bad situation. It is horrible. I'm still grieving about the loss. I'm grieving about what's happening in Israel. I don't know how to process all of this...," Naik said in an interview with PTI.

"At such a time, you feel helpless, you don't know how to react, you don't know what to say. There's nothing that can be done. It is just a very helpless, hopeless situation. It is very sad to go through all this," she added.

The actress, known for her work in TV shows Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahani and Naagin, said she learnt about the unfortunate incident from her uncle.

In her Instagram video, Naik said her cousin Odaya and brother-in-law were "murdered in cold blood" in the presence of their children.

She added that her uncle texted to inform her that her cousin was "missing" and also asked the actor to use her social media following to help locate her.

"Then we put out a picture of her, saying that she is missing. We got to know the next day (October 8) that they (from the authorities) had identified her body. She was dead.

"She was shot in the car while she was driving with her husband and kids to her dad's house," Naik said.

Citing safety concerns, the actor neither disclosed the location of her cousin's children nor the current status of her family.

It is unfortunate that civilians are caught in war, Naik said.

"Prayers are not going to help anyone. It is not that you pray and miracles happen overnight. There is the situation of war because of certain geopolitical reasons. It is only the civilians that get hurt in this war," she added.

The actress recalled visiting Israel earlier this year but had to return to India soon after a similar situation erupted.

"I was also stuck in a safe house. It was a bad situation even then but it was not like this. What we are seeing right now is horrible," she said.

"Israel is a beautiful country. It is heaven on earth. But right now, what we are seeing is horrific. I have no words to say," Naik added.

Naik also talked about the hatred coming her way following her social media post in which she talked about her family members being killed.

"What is shocking is when I made the video, it came from a place of pain, anger, and hate about what is happening, and instead of support, I am getting a lot of abusive messages," she said.

The conflict began after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday, bringing gunbattle to its streets for the first time in decades. More than 1,800 lives have already been claimed on both sides and perhaps hundreds more. Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza hold more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage, according to Israel.