The body of one more Nepali student killed in Israel during an attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7 has been brought to Nepal.
The mortal remains of Ganesh Kumar Nepali of Jayaprithvi Municipality-6, Bajhang, were brought to Kathmandu on a Fly Dubai Airlines plane at 7 AM Thursday, said Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sharad Raj Aran.
Forty-nine students of Far Western University were studying agriculture in Israel under the Israeli government’s “Learn and Earn” program. Ten of them were killed in Kibbutz Alumim, an area in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
Out of the ten Nepali students killed in the attack, the bodies of five have been brought to Nepal so far. DNA samples of relatives of the remaining five have been collected and sent to Israel for verification and their bodies will also be brought soon to Nepal after completing the necessary process, Joint Secretary Aran said.
The bodies of Nepali; Lokendra Singh Dhami of Malikarjun-4 and Dipesh Raj Bishta of Lekam-5, Darchula; and Narayan Prasad Neupane of Ghodaghodi-4 and Ashish Chaudhary of Bauniya-3, Kailali have been brought home so far, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Other students killed in the attack in Israel include Anand Sah of Sapahi-6, Dhanusha; Rajesh Kumar Swarnakar of Madhuwan-1, Sunsari; Rajan Phulara of Pachanali-3 and Padam Thapa of Lamikhal-8, Doti; and Prabesh Bhandari of Sarada-3, Salyan.
Bipin Joshi of Bhimdatta-3, Kanchanpur, has gone missing since the attack.
A team led by Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud had rescued 254 students and brought them to Nepal from Israel some days back. (RSS)
