KATHMANDU, Oct 8: Four Nepalese students studying in Israel have been injured and 11 are still missing after Hamas militants attacked a farm, Foreign Minister N P Saud said today.
The minister said that casualties are feared among the missing students studying in the southern part of Israel.
Israel witnessed a surprise and unprecedented attack by the Hamas group, which rules the Gaza Strip, in its southern parts on Saturday morning.
At least 600 people, including soldiers, have been killed and more than 1,900 injured in Israel — the deadliest day for the country in at least 50 years.
In the Gaza Strip, there are nearly 300 deaths and about 1,500 wounded in Israel’s counterattack, media reports said today.
“Contact could not be established with 11 Nepalese students and heavy casualties among them are feared,” Foreign Minister Saud told.
“We are trying to ascertain the exact number of casualties,” he added.
There were 17 Nepalese students in Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, under the learn and earn programme. Out of 17, two managed to escape safely and four of them sustained injuries, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
The injured Nepalese students are undergoing treatment in a hospital, the sources added.
There are currently 4,500 Nepalese working as caregivers and 265 Nepalese students currently working in various agricultural firms under the learn and earn scheme.
The Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the attack in Israel by the Hamas group. The Nepal government has taken the incident seriously, the ministry said in a statement.
The Government of Nepal has formed a mechanism headed by Saud aimed at rescuing Nepali citizens currently in Israel, according to the ministry.
“The mechanism will continuously monitor the situation, evaluate the conditions faced by Nepali citizens, make necessary decisions regarding rescue operations, and coordinate and cooperate for the same effectively,” Saud told the Parliament on Sunday. (PTI)
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