Himal Press 
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KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud said Nepali casualties are feared in the Hamas attack in the Alumim settlement in the Sedot Negev region of Israel on Saturday.
Saud made the comment answering questions raised by lawmakers in parliament on Sunday regarding the situation of a group of Nepali students currently visiting Israel. Saud’s comments were apparently prompted by the fact that some Nepali nationals had gone out of contact following the attack. However, Nepali citizens residing in Israel suggest that these individuals may have sought refuge in bunkers.
Last month, a total of 49 Nepali students embarked on a journey to the Sedot Negev region of Israel as part of an ‘earn and learn’ program. Reports indicate that 17 of these students were targeted during the attack, while the remaining 32 managed to find safety in bunkers.
These students, enrolled in the 8th semester of the Agriculture Faculty at Sudurpashchim University in far-western Nepal, were actively engaged in various agricultural projects within the Sedot Negev region. Notably, approximately 250 Nepalis are employed in Israel’s agriculture sector, with an additional 4,300 serving as caregivers.
Both the Nepali Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu have confirmed that nine Nepali nationals sustained injuries and 11 have gone out of contact. Among the injured, four have been transported to hospitals for treatment, while one is still sheltering in a bunker, according to a Nepali resident in Israel.
It is customary for houses in Israel to be equipped with bunkers where residents take refuge during conflicts.
Officials at the Nepali Embassy in Tel Aviv have suggested that contact could not be established with some Nepalis as their phone batteries might have been depleted. At the time of the attack, 17 Nepali nationals were present at a farm in Alumim, and they reportedly split into two groups in their attempt to escape.
“We are in regular contact with two Nepalis in a bunker. One of them has sustained a bullet injury to the knee,” stated Kanta Rizal, the Nepali Ambassador to Israel. “Four of those sheltering in another bunker have been transported to the hospital, with one of them receiving treatment in the ICU.”
