FM Saud leads a rescue mission to Israel

 Kathmandu, Oct. 11

Minister for Foreign Affairs, NP Saud, is leading a mission to rescue Nepali nationals trapped in Israel.

The government has sent a widebody aircraft of the Nepal Airlines Corporation to Israel to rescue the students stranded after the Palestine rebel group HAMAS shelled human settlements and farms there.

The aircraft departed from the Tribhuvan International Airport late Wednesday evening carrying high government officials including FM Saud.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), more than 300 Nepalis have filled their personal details on online platform of the ministry while 288 have expressed their desire to return to Nepal. About 4,5000 Nepalis are working in Israel, and 265 students have reached there under 'learn and earn' programme. They are from the Tribhuvan University, Agriculture and Forestry University and Sudurpaschim University.

Spokesperson of the MoFA, Sewa Lamsal, said that the commercial flight service could also be used to repatriate Nepalis from Israel. "The government has decided to use all available channels to rescue Nepali nationals in Israel and bring them back to Nepal," she said.

Earlier, in the morning on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had summoned the concerned authorities, including from the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, to get update about the rescue mission and had directed them to send an aircraft to Israel on Wednesday at any cost.

It was the decision of the government to send FM Saud to Israel, leading the rescue mission.

The government has given priority to the rescue of Nepali students in Israel. Although many Nepali workers in Israel wish to return home, there is no immediate plan to rescue them. However, the Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv in Israel will facilitate in their return and air fare would be borne by the government even if they come here in any other commercial flights.

However, since only a couple of international airlines are conducting flights to Israel, it wouldn't be easy to get back to their homes.

"We have given equal importance to all Nepalis stranded there. The government will make appropriate decisions to rescue Nepali citizens if required," Sharad Raj Aran, Joint Secretary of the MoFA, said.

However, it would take quite a while to bring back the mortal remains of the 10 Nepalis died in the attack. "Mortal remains of the deceased are kept safe at the government-run facilities there. The government of Nepal is putting efforts to bring back the remains and handover to the respective families. This is a top priority," said Lamsal while speaking at a press conference organised at the Ministry on Wednesday evening.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in a telephone conversation with FM Saud had pledged support 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, and assured Israel government’s full support in the early repatriation of the mortal remains.

Meanwhile, of the four students who were injured in the Saturday attack, two have been discharged from the hospital. However, the whereabouts of the missing Nepali, Bipin Joshi, is still unknown. "The government has mobilised all communication and diplomatic channels to find Joshi," said Lamsal.

According to her, MoFA is closely working with Israeli embassy in Kathmandu and Nepali Embassy in Tel Aviv in this regard and regular cooperation is being made with Israeli authorities to know the whereabouts of Joshi.

Ram Kumar Lamsal, a faculty member of Sudurpaschim University which sent Joshi to Israel, said that the delay in finding him has troubled his family and relatives. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 12 October 2023.