'Every Kenyan in Israel has been accounted for,' Diaspora Affairs PS Njogu says

Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Roseline Njogu has confirmed the safety of all Kenyans in Israel amid ongoing battles between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza.  

Njogu says that no Kenyan fatalities have been recorded ever since the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched attacks on Israel on Saturday.

“I am glad to report that there are no casualties among our people. All our people are accounted for," Njogu is quoted as saying by the Nation.

She added that despite escalating violence in Israel, evacuation plans are in place, which will possibly involve other government agencies.

"The government of Kenya continues to monitor the situation. We are in touch with our diaspora in that space and are maintaining contact through our Embassy (in Tel Aviv) on the ground. Plans are in place to evacuate as needed," she said.

Reuters reports that Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

As warning sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, including in Jerusalem, Israel's military said it was on a war footing and the defence minister said the Iran-backed Hamas had made a "grave mistake" by declaring war on Israel.

The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions.

The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration by an unknown number of Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.