Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
17 Indians kidnapped by Hamas during their surprise attack on Israel.
Newschecker also received the same claim on our WhatsApp tipline (+91 9999499044), requesting it to be fact checked.
Also Read: Old Footage of Syrian Child Crying Over His Sister Wrongly Linked to Israel-Palestine Conflict
Fact
Newschecker first looked up if there were any credible reports confirming whether Indian citizens had been kidnapped or held hostage by Hamas. Had that been the case, there would have been a statement by the MEA spokesperson briefing the media about the development. But we found no such statement.
We also found a statement by the Israel’s Ambassador to India, confirming that no Indian had been abducted by Hamas. An NDTV report published on October 8, 2023 titled “No Indian Kidnapped By Hamas”: Israeli Ambassador To India”, quoted the Israeli Ambassador to India, Noar Gilon, saying, “So far no reports of Indian nationals being victims of Hamas.”
Subsequently, on October 13, 2023, The Statesman reported that 3 Indians were missing after the Hamas attack on Israel. “The details of missing Indians emerged after Israeli Embassy in India put out a list of missing and killed foreign nationals,” the report said, and added that Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi had on Thursday told reporters that they had not received information about any Indian causality in the Hamas attack so far.
We conducted a more detailed analysis of the names on the list and observed that the names ‘Ganesh Kumar Nepali,’ ‘Narayan Prasad Neupane,’ and ‘Padam Thapa’ were present in the document, all of which are common Nepali names. Subsequently, we looked into the status of Nepali citizens involved in the Hamas attack. Our investigation revealed that there were indeed 17 Nepali citizens who were in Israel as part of the ‘Learn and Earn scheme’ and were caught in the Hamas attack. According to reports, ten of them lost their lives, six were successfully rescued, and one is believed to have been abducted. These are the same names provided by Nepali Ambassador to Israel, Kanta Riza, as reported by the Economic Times on October 09, 2023.
“According to Rizal, the deceased have been identified as Narayan Prasad Neupane, Ganesh Kumar Nepali, Ashish Chaudhary, Dipesh Raj Bista, Aanand Sah, Rajesh Kumar Swarnkar, Rajan Phulara, Padam Thapa, Pravesh Bhandari, and Lokendra Singh Dhami. Bidhan Sejwal and Pravin Dangi from Dagisharan-3, Dang, sustained injuries and are currently being treated at a local hospital. Both of them are in critical condition. She said that efforts are being made to send the bodies of the deceased to Nepal,” the report quoted.
Newschecker also reached out to the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, who informed us, “It looks like this post is not based on facts. This is not the information Israel has. We are very transparent with all the information we gather, and these numbers don’t reflect the reality we are seeing on the ground.”
Also Read: Video Of Lebanese Youths Scaling Israeli Border Fence Is From 2021
Result: False
Our Sources
Report published by NDTV, dated October 8, 2023
Report published by The Statesman, dated October 13, 2023
Report published by Economic Times, dated October 09, 2023
(Update: This article has been updated on October 16, 2023 to include the clarification by Israeli Embassy in New Delhi)
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates
Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
