Casualties feared as 12 Nepalese students missing after Hamas attack in Israel: FM

Kathmandu: Twelve Nepalese students studying in the southern part of Israel are missing after the attack by the Hamas militant group and casualties are feared among them, Foreign Minister N P Saud said on Sunday.

Israel witnessed a surprise and unprecedented multifront attack – by air, land and sea – by the Hamas militant group, which rules the Gaza Strip, in its southern parts on Saturday morning.

At least 350 Israelis, 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 on Sunday.

"Contact could not be established with 12 Nepalese students and casualties are feared," Foreign Minister Saud told PTI.

There were 17 Nepalese students in Kubuz Alumim in southern Israel, under the learn and earn programme. Out of 17, two managed to escape safely and three sustained injuries, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

The injured Nepalese students are undergoing treatment in a hospital, the Foreign Ministry 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 militant group. Nepal government has taken the incident seriously, the ministry said in a statement.

The Government of Nepal has formed a mechanism headed by Foreign Minister 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.

Earlier, at least nine Nepalese nationals were reported to have been injured in the terrorist attack by the Hamas militants.