The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has put many migrant workers in Lebanon, especially Nepalis, in a difficult situation. In Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Israeli airstrikes happen almost every night, leaving residents, including Nepali workers, scared. Kumari Kshetri, a domestic worker from Jhapa, has lived in Lebanon for 16 years. She says, “I haven’t been able to sleep because of the sound of bombs. Day and night, with just hours between strikes, it’s terrifying. You never know where the next one will land, or if you’ll survive.” Kumari worries about her son back home, fearing he may not be able to continue his engineering studies without her support.
Kumari’s situation is similar to that of Junkiri Magar, who has worked in Beirut since 2009. Junkiri’s children want her to come home, but she knows she needs to keep working to help them. “I earn around Rs60,000 a month, which helps cover my children’s education and needs. If I go back to Nepal, I’ll lose my income, and it’s hard to find work at my age,” she explains. Many migrants are stuck between the fear of violence and the need to support their families.
The Nepali government stopped sending domestic workers to Lebanon in 2010 because of safety concerns. Before this ban, about 12,000 Nepali women had already gone to Lebanon. According to Dipendra Upreti, who leads the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Lebanon, many of the older workers have left, and new ones are not allowed. “The workers who remain usually have good employers,” he says.
Some workers feel safer because of the support from their employers. Shreya Thokar, who has worked in Broummana for ten years, says, “My employer keeps telling me not to worry, that nothing will happen here. They’ve even offered to buy me a ticket home if I’m scared, but I’m waiting it out.”
Currently, about 1,200 Nepalis live in Beirut and nearby areas, mostly as domestic workers. As the conflict gets worse, many foreign workers have lost their homes and are seeking shelter in the mountains after being abandoned by their employers. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that there are 176,500 foreign workers in Lebanon, many of whom are now displaced.
Some Nepali workers believe they are safe. “Israel’s attacks seem focused on Hezbollah, so we don’t feel directly targeted,” says Saru Gurung, a migrant from Kaski who has lived in Lebanon since 2009. She wants to stay because she is saving money to send her son to study in Australia. “If I leave Lebanon now, that dream ends,” she says.
The situation is serious, with reports of Israeli attacks also affecting peacekeepers, causing deaths and injuries. As international pressure for a ceasefire grows, Nepali workers in Lebanon face uncertainty. They live with daily threats from the conflict while trying to decide whether to stay or return home.
For now, many workers choose to wait. They hope for an end to the violence and a safe return to Nepal while trying to hold onto their jobs and dreams for the future.