A Nepal Airlines aircraft airlifted 253 Nepali students from war-hit Israel on Thursday.

A Nepal Airlines 274-seater Airbus A330 took off from Ben Gurion International Airport at around 5pm NST and is expected to land in Kathmandu at around 1am (local time) on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister NP Saud greeted the students in the aircraft. The minister had reached Israel to facilitate the rescue mission. The foreign ministry has thanked Israeli authorities for their prompt support in relocating Nepali nationals to safe zone, movement to airport, flight clearance and other procedures.

On Saturday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, killing 10 Nepalis and hundreds of Israelis and other nationals.

It is the highest number of Nepali casualties on foreign soil in militant attacks since 2016 when 14 Nepalis were killed in a suicide attack by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The repatriation of the bodies, however, may take time, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to send Foreign Minister NP Saud to the war-hit country on the Nepal Airlines flight.

According to the ministry, a total of 265 Nepali students from different Nepali universities had reached Israel under the Israeli government’s ‘Learn and Earn’ programme.

As many as 17 students from the Sudurpaschim University were in the area closer to the Gaza strip targeted by Hamas during the attack, according to the Foreign Ministry.