By Our Reporter
Ten Nepali students have been killed and one went missing in the Hamas attacks on Israel on Saturday. Likewise, four Nepalis were injured in the attack.
The killing of the Nepali students in Israel reminded the Nepali people of the brutal murder of 12 hostages in Iraq 19 years ago, in August 2004.
The Nepali students of Sudurpaschim University reached Israel just a month ago under the learning and earning program. But they were tragically killed at a place called Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip.
It is not known how the students reached the sensitive areas, as there was always a risk of attack by Hamas, a militant group in Palestine, in the area.
The government, though late, initiated the process to bring the bodies of 10 students and rescue others who were at risk.
However, the Nepali Embassy in Israel is so poorly equipped that it cannot manage the task of bringing the bodies and those willing to return home alone. It was revealed at the meeting of the International Affairs Committee of the Parliament on Tuesday that the Tel Aviv mission is manned by just three employees, when thousands of Nepalis are working as caregivers in Israel.
Likewise, the nation observed national mourning on Tuesday on the deaths of 10 students by flying the national flag at half-mast at all government offices and the Nepali missions abroad on Tuesday. The government also decided to provide Rs. 1 million to the family of each victim. It is said that all 47 students working in the border areas were lifted to safe places by the Israeli Army.
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister, NP Saud, talked to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen seeking support on bringing back the bodies, assisting in the treatment and care of the four Nepali nationals who were injured in the attack, and finding the whereabouts of a Nepali citizen who has gone out of contact after the attack.
FM Saud urged Israeli FM Cohen, “We need to return the bodies of the dead to the country as soon as possible. Even a little delay will add more pain to the family members. Therefore, I request the necessary coordination and facilitation for the return of the dead bodies to Nepal. The Nepali embassy will coordinate with the government of Israel.”
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Nepal, four Nepalis are being treated in Israeli hospitals. FM Saud requested Israel to support them in their proper health treatment and care. He also asked Minister Cohen to help the Nepali citizens who have been relocated to a safe place by the Israeli army for their basic needs including food.
When the government formed over decades did nothing to create job opportunities at home and failed to provide quality education to the Nepali youth, every year thousands of people fly overseas in search of jobs risking their lives. Even after the 2004 Iraq incident in which 12 Nepali youths were killed, the government learned no lesson. Many youths died in Afghanistan and the forests of South America in a bid to reach the USA. This time 10 Nepali students died in Israel for their no fault.
As of Wednesday, over 1,200 people were confirmed dead in the attack.
Meanwhile, the scheduled Nepal visit of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been postponed until further notice, citing the worsening situation in the Middle East.
Quoting a senior foreign ministry official, the newspapers in Kathmandu reported that the visit has been postponed for now due to a new situation in West Asia where Guterres needs to pay serious attention.
Guterres was to arrive in Kathmandu on October 13 for a four-day visit. He was to visit Everest base camp, Annapurna Base Camp, Lumbini and Kathmandu. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had extended an invitation to Guterres during his meeting in New York in September and in Rome, Italy in July.
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