Five Days Later, Maria Pashkurova’s Body Recovered from Rubble of Iranian Missile Strike
After a five-day search, the body of Maria Pashkurova, a 31-year-old Bat Yam resident, was recovered from the site of a devastating Iranian missile strike, marking her as the ninth victim. The attack, the deadliest missile strike in Israel’s history, claimed her family, who had immigrated from Ukraine and become cherished members of the community.
On June 19, 2025, at 7:30 PM IDT, the Bat Yam municipality announced with deep sorrow the recovery of a body from the site of an Iranian missile strike, identified as Maria (Marina) Pashkurova, aged 31, who was killed in the attack. “In the last few minutes, a body was found at the site of the missile strike in the city and was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine,” the municipality stated. Pashkurova’s death marks her as the ninth victim of the incident, described as “the most destructive missile strike site ever in Israel,” which devastated Jerusalem Street in Bat Yam.
Pashkurova resided with her mother, Yelena (Olena) Sokolova, and her seven-year-old daughter, Anastasia (Nastya) Burik, both of whom also perished. Anastasia, a student at Gordon Elementary School, was an oncology patient at Sheba Medical Center. The household included Yelena’s grandsons, Konstantin Totvitz, a 10-year-old third-grader at Gordon School, and Ilia Pashkuriov, a 15-year-old ninth-grader at Ramot School, who were also killed. The family, originally from Ukraine, arrived in Israel in December 2022 on a medical tourism visa for Anastasia’s treatment, becoming “an inseparable part of the Bat Yam community,” according to the municipality.
The strike, part of Iran’s retaliatory barrage during Operation Rising Lion, launched on June 13, 2025, saw 400 ballistic missiles fired, with 20 hitting built-up areas. This attack’s unprecedented destruction has left Bat Yam reeling. The municipality expressed its condolences, stating, “The city shares in the family’s heavy grief.” Social media tributes have poured in, with users echoing, “May their memory be a blessing.” As Israel presses its campaign against Iran’s military infrastructure, the loss of this family underscores the profound human cost, leaving a tight-knit community in mourning amid a nation under threat.