Govt sending aircraft to evacuate Nepalis from Israel

KATHMANDU: The government is sending a special aircraft to Israel for the evacuation of Nepalis from the conflict-affected region.

Sources at the foreign ministry said that an aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) will depart Kathmandu for Tel Aviv via Dubai at 11 pm on Wednesday.

A source at the ministry said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal convened a meeting with Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati, along with officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), and expressed dissatisfaction with the sluggish progress to bring stranded Nepalis home from Israel.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently compiling details of Nepali citizens in Israel who wish to return home. NAC is finalizing necessary procedures, including acquiring insurance coverage and securing landing permits through its office in the UAE.

A group of 49 Nepali students found themselves trapped in Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday. Ten of them lost their lives, and one is still out of contact, while 32 students have been rescued by the Israeli Defense Forces and relocated to Tel Aviv from the conflict zones. Some are receiving treatment at local hospitals.