Sujith Nissanka, 48, also known as Sujith Bandara Yatawara, a Sri Lankan caregiver working on Kibbutz Be’eri, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
For a month Nissanka was missing and thought to possibly be held captive in Gaza. But on November 3, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv announced that his body had been located and confirmed through “the DNA samples of his children” sent to Israel.
The embassy held a religious ceremony in Petah Tikva on November 7 before shipping his body to Sri Lanka for burial.
He is survived by his wife, Jayani and his two children, Sethuli and Sehas. The patient he was working for, 72-year-old Haim Zohar, was also killed in the onslaught.
Haim’s wife, Erga Zohar, wrote on Facebook that “Suji was an angel, he took care of my Haim excellently, took care of everything. He really loved Haim, we loved him so much and we made sure he was part of our family. So, so sad.”
Their daughter, Adi Zohar, described Nissanka as a “gifted caregiver, who knew everything… cleaned, showered, fed, quietly, dedicatedly, with love, modestly — the best caregiver we could ever ask for. Our hearts are with his family.”
The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants wrote that Nissanka “crossed the world in order to provide for his family and secure a better future for his children.”
During the period in which he was missing, his 13-year-old daughter Sethuli issued several public appeals for her father’s release, noting that he has worked in Israel as a caregiver since 2014.
“My father loves us. He always asked my mother how we were doing. His entire phone was full of our photos. He loves us that much. If we ask him for something, he will get it for us,” she wrote in a letter. “My father was a good man who never sinned. He is always good for society… He only wanted me and my brother to study well and do a good job.”
“We are so lost that if something happens to dad, we will all be alone. It will be difficult for us to live.”