India on Monday expressed condolences over the death of 10 Nepalese students in Israel due to an unprecedented offensive launched by Hamas militants on Saturday. India has pledged to support Nepal in its hour of grief, said the latter's foreign ministry.
According to the foreign ministry office, Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava expressed grief over the killing of the Nepalese students in Israel. "In a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Saud, Ambassador Srivastava has expressed sorrow over the death of the Nepalese students and extended condolences to the bereaved family members," said the office in a statement.
Srivastava said that India, being a close neighbour of Nepal, stands with it in this "hour of grief".
Israel currently houses 4,500 Nepali nationals working as caregivers. A total of 265 Nepali students are studying in Israel under the ‘Learn and Earn’ programme of the Israeli government.
Nepal mourns deaths of students
Nepal's government has called on its citizens residing in Israel to register themselves online as it plans to repatriate them after Israeli Police confirmed the deaths of 10 Nepal students. The count is expected to go up as some of the injured are in serious condition and there are others who are yet to be contacted.
Expressing grief over the deaths of the students, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that a one-day national mourning will be observed in the country and the bodies will be repatriated in coordination with the Israeli government.
"Likewise, the Gov. of Nepal has also decided to coordinate on the search of missing and on treatment of the injured. The Charted flights will be managed to repatriate the Nepalese from Israel. In this time of grief and difficulty, I appeal to all Nepali people to be patient," he said in a post on X.
Earlier today, Dahal called for an all-party meeting at his office, according to Nepal PM's Secretariat. Meanwhile, online registration is being prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nepal Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli government, so that the Nepalese stranded in Israel can be identified and repatriated easily.
On Sunday, Nepal's Foreign Minister NP Saud while addressing the house session announced the formation of a mechanism to coordinate and rescue the distressed citizens from Israel."The mechanism formed under the supervision of the Foreign Minister has been assigned to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and rescue of Nepali citizens in Israel," the statement noted.
Situation in Israel
Hamas militants launched over 4,000 rockets at Israel from Gaza and infiltrated the country by air, sea and land, gunning down several civilians and soldiers. Over 130 people were taken captive by militants, according to Palestinian militant groups.
Israel formally declared a state of war and launched retaliatory airstrikes and struck over 1,000 targets in Gaza to prevent more infiltrations, levelling down numerous buildings. The death count in the conflict crossed 1,200, including 700 killed by Hamas in Israel and 500 killed in Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a 'complete siege' on Gaza, saying that authorities will cut off access to electricity, food and fuel in the area. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that fighting between Hamas militants and Israeli soldiers continued in and near Kfar Aza, Be’eri, Nirim, Shaar Hanegev, Nir Oz, Alumim and Holit areas.
As of now, the Israeli military said that it has largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen, although gunbattle continued in some places.
Tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilization in a short time.
(with agency inputs)
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