Ukrainian Cancer Patient, 7, Family Killed in Missile Strike Near Tel Aviv

A Ukrainian mother and her young daughter who came to Israel for cancer treatment were killed when a missile hit their home during an Iranian attack.

The strike happened on June 14 in Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv. The deaths were confirmed on June 16 by the Ukrainian charity “Country of Good Deeds,” which had been helping the family.

Maria, her 7-year-old daughter Anastasia – who was being treated for cancer – her 60-year-old mother Olena, and two young nephews died in the strike, the charity said. The family was from Odesa, a city often under attack by Shahed drones, and had been staying in a home that was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile during the attack.

“Our Nastenka has become an angel… Yesterday, we were preparing a post about how she was feeling a little better. Today, we have to say that she is gone,” the foundation wrote on social media. “She and her mother died under the rubble.”

Anastasia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the summer of 2022. After undergoing treatment in Ukraine, she and her family traveled to Israel in December 2022 for further care at an advanced clinic. Her mother, Maria, had been documenting their journey online and raising funds for treatment.

Anastasia’s father, Artem, has been serving in the Ukrainian military since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Other Topics of Interest

Ukrainian Rescuer Killed Saving Civilians Becomes First Civilian to Win UN Peacekeeping Medal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has posthumously awarded the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Ukrainian rescuer Serhii Prykhodko, making him the first civilian in the UN’s history to receive its highest peacekeeping honor. The medal was accepted on his behalf by his wife and six-year-old daughter.