Armed assaults by the Palestinian islamist group Hamas on Israel on Saturday resulted in the deaths of ten Nepali students and the injury of four more. On Sunday, fighting was still going on in several areas of southern Israel as security forces hunted for the terrorists.
The Nepali embassy in Tel Aviv reports that one student is still unaccounted for. 17 Nepali students were attacked directly by the militants in Kibbutz Alumim, a region close to the Gaza Strip, while the act terrorised the entire nation. Only two of them—who are being protected by the police—were unharmed. The injured are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, according to a statement sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday night.
“Our embassy is coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how the bodies can be repatriated after examination,” Kanta Rizal, the Nepali ambassador in Israel, told the Post. “We are also in touch with the Israeli authorities.”Earlier, on Sunday afternoon, informing the House of Representatives about the situation of Nepalis in Israel, Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud had said out of 17 Nepali students in Kibbutz Alumim, the area near the Gaza Strip, 12 were missing and some were “feared dead.”
Those who died in the attacks are students of agriculture from Sudur Paschim University.Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, has launched a massive armed attack on Israel since early Saturday.While informing the House, Saud said 4,500 Nepalis are working in Israel as caregivers. Similarly, a total of 265 Nepali students are studying in Israel under the ‘Learn and Earn’ programme of the Israeli government, he said. Of them, 119 are from Agriculture and Forestry University, 97 from Tribhuvan University and 49 Sudur Paschim University. All of them are bachelor-level students of agriculture.
The government on Sunday constituted a mechanism led by the foreign minister incorporating all agencies concerned to coordinate and take necessary measures. This mechanism will continuously monitor the situation and take necessary decisions to rescue the Nepalis, according to the minister.He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Nepali Embassy in Israel to rescue Nepalis, inform them of the situation and urge them to follow safety instructions and rules issued by the Israeli government.
The foreign ministry, issuing a statement on Saturday, had said that a farm where 14 Nepalis were working had come under attack in Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip.Different media outlets reported that Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise dawn attack.
The attack is the most ambitious operation Hamas has ever launched from Gaza and the most serious cross-border attack Israel has faced in more than a generation, the BBC said. Palestinian fighters penetrated at least three military installations around the frontier—the Beit Hanoun border crossing (called Erez by Israel), the Zikim base, and the Gaza division headquarters at Reimm, according to the BBC.
Hanan Godar, Israeli ambassador to Nepal, said that some 350 Israelis lost their lives including civilian women and children while hundreds were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
“Israel is at war and will know how to protect its citizens,” he told the Post. “We appreciate the friendly message sent by the Nepali government and by Nepali citizens.”
Various political parties have demanded the government to take diplomatic initiatives to rescue and repatriate Nepalis. Issuing a statement, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the government to ascertain the exact number of Nepalis in Israel and ensure their safety. It also has demanded their repatriation.
“The party also urges friendly nations, international human rights organisations, the International Organisation for Migration, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, among others, to support the repatriation of Nepalis working in Israel,” reads the statement.
The main opposition CPN-UML has also asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to talk to his Israeli counterpart to rescue the Nepalis. “Issuing statements and informing the House is not enough. The government must play the role of guardian of its citizens at this time of crisis,” said Padam Giri, the UML chief whip, in Parliament.
The contact details of the Embassy of Nepal in Israel are:
Tel: +972(0)35168085
Ambassador: Kanta Rizal +972545864423
First Secretary: Arjun Ghimire +972528289300
Email: nepal.embassy@012.net.il
Source: Here
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