A Ukrainian family who fled to Israel seeking life-saving treatment for a child with cancer were killed when an Iranian missile struck their apartment in Bat Yam, a city near Tel-Aviv, on 13 June. The victims included 7-year-old Nastia Buryk, her mother, grandmother, and two cousins.

Medical escape from Ukraine ends in tragedy

Nastia Buryk, originally from Odesa, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Her mother, Maria Pashkurova, had shared the heartbreaking news publicly:

“Since that day, I have been living in a parallel reality, where the main thing is to save. To breathe. To not give up.”

Nastia initially received chemotherapy in Ukraine, but after a relapse, her family sought more advanced care. They relocated to Israel in December 2022 with the help of donations, hoping to access treatment unavailable during wartime in Ukraine. Nastia underwent a bone marrow transplant in Israel, but the procedure failed. Facing mounting medical bills, her father Artem—who joined Ukraine’s 95th Airborne Assault Brigade—continued raising funds from the frontline.

By spring 2025, Maria pursued an experimental treatment in Israel to reactivate the failed transplant. Her mother Olena and two nephews—9-year-old Kostiantyn and 13-year-old Illia—joined her in Israel, where the boys enrolled in school.

Rescuers among the injured as Russia again targets civilians in Odesa and Kharkiv

Iranian missile hits Bat Yam residential building

On 13 June, just a day after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, Iran began daily retaliatory strikes. One of its missiles struck the family’s apartment in Bat Yam on the first night of the Iranian assault. According to Ynet News, all five members of the Ukrainian family were killed.

In addition to the Ukrainian family, four other people reportedly died in the Bat Yam missile strike, and more than 100 people were injured in the blast.