Vibrant attire is on show, and the aroma of jalebis and chaat wafts across Israel's Dimona, a city with a large Indian community that is less than 20 km from one of Israel's important nuclear weapons installations.
Thirty-three people were injured at Dimona on Saturday, when strikes left wide tracts of the city in southern Israel to twisted debris in revenge for an attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment complex hours earlier.
Dimona has gained the nickname "Little India" because of its 7,500-strong Indian-Jewish community, which accounts for roughly 30% of the town's population.Fluent Marathi and a smattering of Hindi can be heard, cricket has a devoted following, and shops sell local Indian snacks such as sonpapdi's gulab jamun, papri chaat, and bhelpuri.
According to the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv, the majority of Indian immigrants to Israel arrived in the 1950s and 1960s. The bulk come from Maharashtra (Bene Israelis), with minor numbers from Kerala (Cochini Jews) and Kolkata (Baghdadi Jews). In recent years, some Indian Jews from Mizoram and Manipur (Bnei Menache) have emigrated to Israel.
They are generally employed as diamond traders, information technology specialists, and senior carers.The community continues to interact, not only via food, but also through traditions, festivals, and culture. A Cochini Jew will celebrate Onam, whereas Diwali may bring together a Bene Israel and a Baghdadi Jew. They'll share cups of tea with rusk, which is readily available on Israeli store shelves.
The Indian Film Fest in November 2025 featured film screenings for nearly a month in packed venues, while the first-ever Indian music festival sold out months ago.
Cities with an Indian-origin population include Haifa, Tel Aviv, Arad, Netanya, and Afula.
A nuclear stronghold
Dimona's Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Center, located in Israel's Negev desert, is described as a research facility. Construction began in 1958 and was completed by around 1964.According to a New York Times piece from last year, substantial development was ongoing at the site, with experts offering potential repairs and modifications.
Israel is currently not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Saturday's Strike
Israel's military claimed it was unable to intercept missiles that targeted the southern cities of Dimona and Arad.
Rescue services reported that 33 individuals were hurt in the missile assault, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition and a 40-year-old lady in moderate condition, both from shrapnel injuries.

Iran has stated that it is targeting Dimona following the prior attack on the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex. "If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle," Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told X.
In Arad, emergency workers searched among the wreckage of severely damaged structures.