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All 55 Nepali students working in an agriculture farm along the Israel-Gaza border have been relocated to a safer place.

According to the Nepali Embassy in Tel Aviv, 72 Nepali people, who were awaiting rescue from the nearby northern border of Israel, have also been shifted to safer areas.

The Embassy also said that four Nepali people who sustained injuries in Saturday's attack are witnessing gradual improvements in their health and search for a missing Nepali is taking place with the assistance of all available local and diplomatic mechanisms, including police and hospital.

Over 350 Nepali people eager to return home have so far registered their names at Nepali Embassy. A process has already been initiated to safely return them home.

The Madhes Province government has decided to provide a relief amount of Rs 500,000 to the family of Ananda Sah of Laxminiya Rural Municipality-4, Sapahi of Dhanusha who lost his life in the terrorist attack in Israel.

In a condolence message issued on Tuesday evening, Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav expressed his heartfelt condolence to the family of the deceased and announced relief amount to the victim’s family.

Paying tribute to 10 Nepali youths who were killed in the terrorist attack in Israel, he termed the Hamas attack against innocent Nepalis an inhumane act.

"The attack has shattered the dreams of 10 families. We the Nepali people are in deep grief due to an incident. I would like to pay homage to those killed in lethal attack and condole the bereaved families", the message reads.

Several countries are grappling to find their missing and killed citizens in the latest Israel-Palestine war that has since Saturday claimed at least 1,600 lives, and is only expected to escalate. 

Ten Nepali students have been killed while 55 from Israeli bunkers and 72 from Lebanon have been shifted to safe places since the war broke out four days ago, Nepali Ambassador to Israel Kanta Rizal told ApEx over the phone. 

The ambassador also said that despite reports in some Nepali media regarding potential hostage-taking of Nepali citizens by the Hamas militants, there have been no official reports supporting these claims.  “We followed the reports of Nepalis being held hostage and relayed this information to Israeli officials, but there is no truth to these rumors,” said Rizal.

According to the diplomat, only one Nepali citizen is reported missing, and both the Nepali Embassy in Israel and Israeli authorities are actively searching for him.  The Nepali Ambassador informed that the southern region of Israel is where most of the clashes have been taking place, and there are no Nepalis in the zone and its immediate vicinities needing emergency rescue.

Around 4,500 Nepalis are currently employed as caregivers in Israel while 265 Nepali students are studying there as part of the Israeli government’s ‘Learn and Earn’ program. Among the students, 119 are from the Agriculture and Forestry University, 97 from Tribhuvan University, and 49 from Far-Western University (FWU). Seventeen students from FWU were employed at an agricultural farm in Alumim, located near the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Ten Nepali students enrolled in educational institutions in southern Israel lost their lives in a shock attack launched by the Hamas militants on Saturday. Fifty-five students were rescued from bunkers during the attack. The embassy has opened an online registration for those wishing to return to Nepal. Around 200 Nepalis have already filled out the form. 

Ambassador Rizal said that the embassy was facilitating the return of Nepali citizens. 

“We are in close coordination with both Nepali and Israeli authorities, and will expedite their return, along with the bodies of the deceased students,” she added.

Despite ministerial- and secretary-level discussions between both governments, there have been complaints that the rescue of Nepali citizens has been delayed.  But Rizal said that Israeli authorities themselves were facing challenges in rescuing their citizens from the war-zone region.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces have reported the elimination of a “number of armed suspects” who had “infiltrated” into Israel from Lebanon. This has raised concerns that Lebanon might be involved in the ongoing conflict.  However, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati has stated that his country does not want to be drawn into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

In recent years, there have been several small-scale rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel, leading to retaliatory strikes from Israel. These attacks were believed to be orchestrated by Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Ambassador Rizal also reported that 72 Nepali students from Lebanon were successfully rescued and placed in a safe location. 

“I have received a message from Nepali students in Lebanon informing me that 72 of them have been relocated to a secure place,” she said, adding that the embassy in Israel was keeping a close eye on the situation of Nepali citizens both in Israel and Lebanon.“We are looking if there are other Nepalis stuck in Lebanon.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has advised against individual or political visits to Israel, except in cases where official decisions have been made at the political level. 

“The situation is sensitive, so people are urged not to visit Israel on a personal or political basis, unless there are official political decisions,” he told the Foreign Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives.

Foreign Minister NP Saud held a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on Tuesday.

Minister Saud had urged Cohen for necessary coordination and facilitation to repatriate the bodies of Nepali students killed in the attacks by Hamas in Israel.

He also urged Cohen to help in the treatment of Nepali nationals and help in searching for a Nepali national who has been missing following the attacks in Israel.

Minister Saud has urged his Israeli counterpart to help in providing basic essentials to the Nepali nationals who were relocated to a safer place by the Israeli army.

He also informed Minister Cohen that some Nepali citizens living in bunkers have been asking to arrange safe accommodation.

Saying that the Foreign Ministry has been collecting details of the Nepali nationals living in Israel, Minister Saud urged the Israeli government for the necessary assistance to repatriate the Nepali nationals stranded in various places of Israel.

During the conversation, Minister Saud expressed his sympathy for the loss of property caused by the attacks of Hamas and said that the government of Nepal stands in support for Israel in this difficult time.

Dubbing the Hamas group as terrorist, Foreign Minister Cohen expressed heartfelt condolences over the death of 10 Nepali students in the attacks by Hamas.

He expressed his commitment to extend necessary assistance to send the bodies to Nepali students back home.