Authorities have recovered the body of 31-year-old Maria Peshkuryova from the debris of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile more than four days ago. The missile incident has now resulted in a total of nine fatalities, including four of Peshkuryova’s relatives.
The body has been sent to Israel’s National Center for Forensic Medicine for official identification. The names of the other four victims, all members of the same family, were released on Wednesday: they are Olena Sokolova, 54; Ilya Peshkuryov, 14; Kostyantyn Tutevich, 10; and Anastasia Buryk Peshkuryova, 7.
In addition to the fatalities, the Magen David Adom rescue service reported that 99 individuals were injured in the blast that occurred overnight into Sunday. Tragically, Maria’s daughter, 7-year-old Anastasia, also lost her life in the attack. The family had been in Israel for Anastasia’s leukemia treatment.
Lena Dubrovner, a social activist assisting Ukrainian refugees in Israel, shared her close ties to the family. She explained that Olena, Maria, and Anastasia had arrived in Israel in late 2022. Approximately a year later, they were joined by the sons of Olena’s other daughter, Ilya and Kostyantyn. According to family plans, they intend to cremate the remains and return them to Ukraine for burial once it is feasible.
On the night of the missile strike, a representative from An Opportunity for Life visited the family’s home after hearing about the attack, hoping to bring them to safety. “I planned to take them to my home. I thought they’d be standing outside in pajamas, and I’d simply put them in the car and take them to my home,” she recalled. However, she found no trace of them.
After calling out for Anastasia Buryk, she was directed to a local school where many residents had evacuated. There, she learned that the family from Odessa had been trapped under the rubble. Despite hopes of finding survivors at the hospital, they were not present. The representative began receiving calls from the Fire and Rescue Service and Home Front Command seeking information about the family, eventually leading her to Abu Kabir, Israel’s national institute of forensic medicine.
After identifying the bodies of the children and their grandmother, she has maintained communication with authorities in the search for Maria. Officials have confirmed that they are investigating whether she left the country, while efforts to locate her body amidst the rubble are ongoing. In a poignant reminder of her bond with her daughter, Maria’s last Instagram post just hours before the missile strike depicted Anastasia sitting on her bed, engaging in conversation.