Nepal Airlines plane with evacuated Nepalis from Israel to land in Kathmandu at 9 pm today

A Nepal Airlines plane that had left for Israel this morning to evacuate Nepalis from war-torn Israel will land at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu at 9 pm today.

The national flag-carrier plane took off for Israel from Kathmandu at 3.30 am today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud himself has left for Israel on the same plane for diplomatic coordination to rescue the Nepalis from the war-hit West Asian country.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson Sewa Lamsal said a 250-seat wide-body aircraft of the Nepal Airlines has left for Israel to bring the Nepalis wishing to return home.

Ten Nepali students were killed and some others were injured in the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas in the southern part of Israel on Saturday. The status of one student is still unknown.

The Nepali Embassy in Israel has been collecting, through an online registration system, the names of Nepalis who want to be relocated or rescued to safer places and who wish to return to Nepal.

Delay in repatriation of bodies

The repatriation of the bodies of the 10 Nepalis killed in the attack may take time as the legal process of handing over the bodies has not been completed.

It may be noted that the Government of Israel has declared a war against Hamas.

Spokesperson Lamsal said the bodies would be brought to Nepal at the soonest once the Israeli government completed all the legal processes including the post-mortem.