Kathmandu Attack on Israeli Tourist: One-Sided Israeli Media Reports Met with Widespread Skepticism in Nepal

Biratchowk, Nepal – December 3, 2025 – A report emerged yesterday claiming that a 25-year-old Israeli tourist, Almog Armoza, was attacked with a metal club in an alley near his hostel in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, after locals overheard him speaking Hebrew on a voice message. The incident, described as potentially motivated by his nationality, has been widely covered in Israeli media but has drawn sharp criticism and doubt on social media, particularly from Nepali users who argue the story lacks credibility and unfairly tarnishes their country’s reputation for hospitality.

According to Armoza’s account, shared with Israeli outlet Ynet and republished by The Jerusalem Post, the assault occurred late Monday night in a well-traveled alley just 150 meters from his accommodation – a route commonly used by Israeli backpackers in the area. “They hit me in the head with an iron club,” Armoza recounted. “If I hadn’t run away, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be alive today.” He speculated the attackers targeted him after recognizing Hebrew, adding that nothing was stolen, suggesting a “nationalistic” motive rather than robbery.

The story quickly spread on X (formerly Twitter), where The Jerusalem Post shared a summary of the article, garnering over 17,000 views but only modest engagement: 25 likes, 6 reposts, and 25 replies as of this morning. However, the platform’s comments section has become a flashpoint, with many Nepali voices dismissing the claims as exaggerated or fabricated, emphasizing that average locals cannot identify Israelis by appearance or distinguish Hebrew from other languages.

Social Media Reactions: Defending Nepal’s Image

The replies to the Jerusalem Post post reveal a polarized but predominantly skeptical response from Nepali users, who highlight their nation’s tourism-dependent economy and cultural emphasis on welcoming visitors. Key themes include:

• Doubts on Identification and Motive: Several commenters questioned how attackers could have targeted Armoza based on Hebrew alone. “Nepal people don’t understand Hebrew neither they can differentiate between any other foreign language and hebrew. So, I don’t think the reason was ‘he speaking Hebrew’,” wrote @InfinityKid01, echoing a sentiment shared by others. @mangamoth added, “Israeli and their victim mentality 😂😂 bet those Nepalese ppl don’t even know what Hebrew sounds like.”
• Praise for Nepali Hospitality: Long-term residents and locals pushed back against the narrative of anti-Israeli sentiment. A teacher who lived in Kathmandu for five years posted, “Nepali people are kind and compassionate. I lived there 5 years and never saw anything like this happening.” Another user shared a video from a recent nationwide strike, showing Nepalis respectfully aiding stranded tourists, captioned: “Just watch this video 👇 even during the September 8–9 strike… we still treated our guests with respect. That’s the true spirit of Nepal 🇳🇵.”
• Calls for Context and Balance: Many urged hearing both sides, suggesting the tourist may have provoked the incident. “Just writing one side of the story isn’t fair soo many tourists do lot of stupid stuff to break the peace in ktm,” noted @e703bc133c7c40c, a Kathmandu resident who stressed tourism’s importance to Nepal. @prathamgau73465 speculated: “there could be two things: first :- the attacker maybe non-nepali; second :- the tourist prolly done something horrendous.”
• Outright Rejection and Accusations of Propaganda: Stronger responses labeled the report as biased. “Did they see your passport or citizenship to confirm the nationality or what? A common Nepali doesn’t understand your language so to say he was attacked on nationality is stupid or a propaganda!” posted @SubediUdhir. A few anti-Israel comments surfaced, such as @HypocriteNepali’s “Good. We don’t want genocidal Zionists in Nepal. You’re not welcome here,” which drew pushback from other Nepalis: “you’re not we.”