Aircraft with 253 Nepalis departs from Tel Aviv

KATHMANDU: A special flight of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has evacuated 253 Nepalis from Israel, according to the foreign ministry.

An Airbus A330 aircraft of NAC left Ben Gurion International Airport at 5:15 pm Nepal time.

The government has sent a team led by Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud to bring back Nepalis stranded in Israel after the Hamas attack on Saturday.

The foreign ministry had asked Nepalis interested in returning to Nepal to fill out an online form. The special flight is bringing 253 of those who filled out the form.

Ten Nepalis lost their lives in the Hamas attack. One is still out of contact.

The aircraft, however, is not bringing dead bodies. Foreign ministry spokesperson Sewa Lamsal said on Wednesday that the bodies can be repatriated only after they are officially handed over by the Israeli authorities.