At Least 11 International Students Killed in Hamas Attack in Israel

At least 11 international students are among the many victims in Israel following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas on Saturday morning.

Most of these students were from Nepal, the country's government has confirmed. The ten students were killed in the southern region of Israel, Erudera.com reports.

"Tragically, last Saturday, 10 Nepali students lost their lives during an indiscriminate attack by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas on Israel," Sewa Lamsal, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), said in a statement.

Four other students from the group of 17 Nepali students, were injured at Kibbutz Alumim, a location near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, while two more students were safely evacuated to Tel Aviv.

As of now, one student is still missing, and the four others are being treated for the injuries they suffered in the attack. Lamsal confirmed that authorities are keeping in touch with 17 students attacked by the Islamist group.

These students were among 49 students pursuing bachelor's degrees in agriculture at at Sudur Paschim University. They were studying at the institution under a program that granted them the opportunity to study and work in Israel for a total of 11 months.

Among the victims was Rajesh Kumar Swarnakar, a 27-year-old student pursuing his studies in first-year studies in the country, who was planning to move to Australia after completing the program.

"I was not in favour of sending my brother to Israel. He insisted to us that he had received a scholarship and told us that he would save some money to apply for Australia after finishing the programme in Israel,” Mukesh, the brother of Rajesh Kumar Swarnakar, told BBC Nepal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that students have now been shifted to a safer location with the assistance of the Israeli army. According to media reports, more than 250 Nepali students work in different farms across Israel, and an additional 4,500 Nepalese nationals work as caregivers.

The Nepali embassy in Israel stated that more than 200 Nepalese have already completed forms expressing their wish to return to their home country.

Another student from Cambodia was among the people who lost their lives in these attacks, Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Manet, has confirmed.

Several countries are actively engaged in bringing back their citizens remaining in Israel, including India which has about 15,000 citizens living and working in the country.

Hamas launched a massive attack on Israel on October 7 that left over 1,200 people dead and thousands of others wounded. Dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians were also seized and transported to the Gaza Strip.

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