Kathmandu, Oct 9 (PTI) India has condoled the death of 10 Nepalese students in Israel and voiced its support to the neighbouring country in its hour of grief, Nepal's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Israel has formally declared war on the Islamist militant group Hamas after its fighters launched an unprecedented attack on Saturday that has so far killed more than 700 people in Israel. Ten Nepalese students in Israel were killed by Hamas militants in the country's southern region.

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In a letter to Nepal's Foreign Minister NP Saud, the Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava expressed sadness over the killing of the Nepalese students.

“In a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Saud, Ambassador Srivastava has expressed sorrow over the death of the Nepalese students and extended condolences to the bereaved family members,” the statement from Nepal's foreign office said.

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“India being a close neighbour stands with Nepal in this hour of grief,” Ambassador Srivastava said.

There are currently 4,500 Nepali nationals working as caregivers in Israel. A total of 265 Nepali students are studying in Israel under the ‘Learn and Earn' programme of the Israeli government.

Of them, 119 are from Agriculture and Forestry University, 97 are from Tribhuvan University and 49 are from Sudur Paschim University. All of them are bachelor-level students of agriculture.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)