The conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated to unforeseen levels on October 7 when Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group that controls the densely populated Gaza Strip along Israel’s border, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. While hundreds of innocent civilians, defence personnel and foreign nationals have been killed and injured in the attack, several others have been left stranded in the war-torn areas.
Five such Nepali students in Israel who fell victim to the Hamas strike made a heartfelt appeal to the government of Nepal for aid and prompt rescue. In a video message they have posted on social media, the students, who have been hiding in a bunker for the past three days, describe the dangerous predicament they are in and implore their government to rescue them.
One of them who identifies himself as Bipin Subedi said that they travelled to Israel to attend the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Sudurpaschim University. In the video, which they seemed to have recorded from the insecure bunker they have been hiding in, Bipin Subedi admitted that during their three days in the bunker, they endured continuous missile attacks. He pleaded with the Government of Nepal to hasten their rescue since they feared for their life due to the constant threat of assault.
“I am Bipin Subedi, and we are students from Sudurpaschim University’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. There are five of us here. Initially, I hesitated to make this video because it would cause distress to our families. However, as our country has not taken any action to help us, we are compelled to make this video,” the petrified student said.
Subedi, elaborating on how helpless and panic-stricken he and his friends are at the moment, added, “There are five of us here, and this is the bunker where we are currently residing. We have been confined to this bunker for approximately three days. We have been here since yesterday evening, wearing the same clothes, hoping that the embassy would rescue us.”
Further, describing their panic when missiles start falling on their bunker at night, the Nepali student lamented how they had already lost 10 of their friends to the attack. He added that the fear of meeting a similar fate as their 10 friends keeps them awake throughout the night.
“When night falls, it’s excruciating when the missiles strike our bunker. We have already lost ten friends, and we are terrified that we may meet the same fate. We remember the cries of those ten friends, their desperate calls to us—everything. We haven’t slept a wink all night.”
The Nepali student lambasted the Nepalese administration, saying it showed little concern for its people who were trapped in the war-torn country. He claimed that it appeared as though the Nepali leadership was taking things easy because they believed that they could withstand missile attacks in the bunker.
The student went on to criticize the Nepalese government by juxtaposing its apathy toward its citizens who were trapped in Israel with the Indian government’s rapid action in ensuring the safe evacuation of its citizens from the war-torn nation.
He added, “If terrorists find their way here and attack us as ruthlessly as they did our friends, we will meet the same fate. Please, we cannot wait any longer. We have heard in the news that India chartered an entire plane to bring back a TikTok star. Our Nepalese government informed us that we couldn’t do anything in the agricultural sector, yet we have lost ten out of thirty-nine students.
In a desperate cry for help, the student promised to serve the country once he and his friends were safely evacuated and taken back to Nepal. Yearning to be rescued at the earliest from the perilous situation in Israel, Subedi said that they don’t need false assurance but want the Nepal government to act promptly. “The time for the state to act decisively is now. Please consider this,” he bemoaned as he ended the video message.
10 Nepali students killed in Hamas attack in Israel
Meanwhile, on Sunday, October 8, the media quoted an official of the Nepal Embassy as confirming that at least 10 Nepali students had been killed in Saturday’s Hamas invasion of Israel.
“Around 10 Nepali students died in the ongoing situation in Israel,” news agency ANI quoted a Nepal Embassy in Israel official as saying.
Hamas terrorists' attack on Israel | Around 10 Nepali students died in the ongoing situation in Israel: Nepal Embassy in Israel official confirmed ANI
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2023
Nepal govt decides to keep plane on stand-by to bring bodies of Nepali killed in Israel
Furthermore, it was also reported that the government in Nepal has decided to keep a plane in a ready position and establish coordination with the Israeli side to repatriate home the bodies of Nepali nationals killed in the ongoing conflict in Israel. Additionally, in the meeting that was held on Sunday, October 8, the committee headed by Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, also decided to find a way to relocate the Nepali citizens in Israel to safe areas.
