By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Israeli officials on Monday confirmed that 24-year-old Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who was abducted by Hamas militant group during the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel, has been confirmed dead.
Israeli army officials informed Nepali authorities on Sunday morning that Joshi is not alive. This news brings an end to weeks of uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts.
Bipin’s brother Kishor Joshi said, there is still hope that his brother will return as some hostages are yet to be released.
Joshi, a resident of Kanchanpur, had traveled to Israel under the Learn and Earn Programme for educational purposes.
He was working at the Alumim kibbutz along with 16 other Nepali students when Hamas attacked.
The assault resulted in the death of ten Nepali students, injured 5 others, and one student escaped unhurt.
Despite continuous diplomatic efforts by the Nepali government, his location and safety remained unknown for many months.
Nepali authorities, in coordination with his family, repeatedly sought updates from Israeli officials, but progress was slow.
The officer from the Israel Defense Forces formally informed Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, about Joshi’s death.
The video call included Joshi’s sister, who was in the US, his brother Kishor in Nepal, and officials from Israel’s Prime Minister’s office. Ambassador Pandit confirmed the news to local media.
The announcement came as Hamas released a list of 20 hostages scheduled to be freed under a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
The list, published by Palestinian news agency Shehab, did not include Joshi’s name.
The hostages ready for release include international and Israeli citizens. Their handover is under supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.
According to media reports, the last confirmed sighting of Joshi was on November 17, 2023 at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
His condition and location had remained unclear. A video of him, recorded surfaced last Wednesday. But it did not provide current information on his safety.
Bipin’s family had made personal efforts to confirm his wellbeing. His mother and sister had traveled to Israel earlier as part of a government-led initiative. They are now in the United States.
Despite these attempts, diplomatic channels could not secure new information or facilitate his release before the tragic outcome was confirmed.
