254 Nepali students rescued from conflict-ridden Israel return home

A group of 254 Nepali students rescued from the strife-torn Israel and led by Foreign Minister N P Saud arrived in Kathmandu on Friday.

A Nepal Airlines flight that took off from Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday landed at Tribhuvan International Airport here this morning after a stopover in Dubai.

Speaking to the media at the airport, Foreign Minister Saud, who flew to Israel a day before to facilitate the rescue mission, said the remaining Nepalis who have requested repatriation would be rescued soon.

The minister said 557 Nepalis had provided their details in response to a request from the Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv to those wishing to return to Nepal or relocate to safer places.

"Out of the 557 Nepalis, 503 had applied to return to Nepal and among them 254 have returned home today with us," he was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times newspaper.

Minister Saud also said that 54 Nepalis who had requested to be relocated from risky areas have been shifted to safer zones in Israel.

Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a barrage of air strikes in Southern Israel on Saturday which killed 10 Nepali students. Six students were rescued and one went missing.

"A search continues for Bipin Joshi who has gone missing following the attacks. We will share the information as soon as we get additional information on this," Saud said.

"The Israeli side has stated that it will take some time for handing over the bodies as it is required to complete the legal process and keep separate details of each and every deceased, and the number of bodies in Israel is currently very high," he said, requesting the families and relatives of the deceased Nepalis to have patience.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 265 students from Nepal studying under the Israel government-funded 'Learn and Earn' scheme in different parts of Israel, and about 4,500 Nepali citizens working in various professional fields.