Missile strike in Bat Yam kills Ukrainian family who came for cancer care

Family sought refuge in Israel for child’s leukemia treatment; five relatives among victims of Iranian missile attack.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

Five members of a Ukrainian family who fled to Israel in search of life-saving cancer treatment for a child were killed in the Iranian missile strike on Bat Yam, Israeli authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

Seven-year-old Nastya Burik, who had been undergoing treatment for leukemia, was among those killed when a missile directly hit a residential building in the coastal city late Saturday night.

Her mother, Maria Peshkurova, 30; grandmother Lena Peshkurova, 60; and cousins Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13, also died in the blast.

The family, originally from Odessa, Ukraine, was not Jewish but immigrated to Israel in December 2022 to seek advanced medical care for Nastya, who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

According to reports, the young girl had initially responded to treatment, but her condition worsened in recent months, culminating in a failed bone marrow transplant.

Her mother and grandmother had been caring for her during her illness, with the grandmother bringing along her two other grandchildren — Nastya’s young cousins — who were enrolled in local schools in Bat Yam.

Nastya’s father, Artem Burik, serves in the Ukrainian military’s Storming Brigade and remains on the front lines fighting Russian forces.

Other family members, including Lena’s husband, were unable to travel to Israel due to the ongoing war.

The tragic deaths highlight the far-reaching toll of the missile attack, which targeted civilian areas across Israel and marked a rare direct strike on the densely populated Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

In addition to the Ukrainian family, four other Israeli civilians were killed in the Bat Yam strike: Michael (Miki) Nahum, 61; Meir (Miro) Vaknin, 53; Bella Ashkenazi, 94; and Efrat Saranga, 44.

The deaths have shaken both Israeli and Ukrainian communities, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the attack and the tragic fate of a family who had sought refuge and healing in a new land.

Funeral arrangements for the victims have not yet been announced.

Israeli officials say psychological and logistical support is being extended to surviving relatives and community members impacted by the blast.

Bat Yam missile strikecancer treatmentUkraine