**Nepali Student Bipin Joshi’s Fate Remains Uncertain Following Hamas Captivity**
Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who was taken captive by Hamas on 7 October 2023, was not among those freed following the end of bombardment and fighting in Gaza. On Monday morning, the Israeli military informed Bipin’s family and Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, that there is no evidence of him still being alive. However, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry has yet to receive official notification from the Israeli government regarding Bipin’s status.
The news came three days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect. Hostage and prisoner exchanges between the two sides began on Monday morning. Nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are expected to be released by Israel in exchange for hostages during the next phase of the peace deal. Additionally, the bodies of deceased hostages remaining in Gaza are anticipated to be returned.
Bipin Joshi had arrived in Israel earlier in 2023 as part of a ‘learn and earn’ program designed for students to work and earn on kibbutz farms. Alongside other students, Joshi worked on a farm in Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, near Gaza. Tragically, ten Nepali students were killed while taking shelter near their farms during two separate Hamas attacks.
Surviving colleagues recall how Hamas gunmen lobbed two grenades into the bunker where they had taken cover. Bipin heroically hurled one grenade out, but the other exploded, killing and injuring some Nepalis inside. Shortly afterward, Bipin was captured by Hamas along with a Thai national and led into Gaza.
CCTV footage showed Bipin alive and at a hospital in Gaza on the day of the attack after he was taken hostage. Thirty-one Thai citizens, who like Nepalis worked on Israeli farms, were also taken hostage during the Hamas attack—the highest number of foreign captives recorded in October 2023. Through deft diplomatic engagement with officials from Iran, Egypt, and Qatar, Thailand secured the release of 23 of its nationals in 2023, with five more released earlier this year.
In August, Bipin’s family visited Israel at the invitation of the government and urged the international community to advocate for his safe return. His mother Padma and sister Pushpa have been lobbying for his release at the United Nations. Last week, the family released a video clip reportedly obtained by Israel, showing Bipin speaking briefly on camera. The footage, said to be filmed in November 2023—about a month after his capture—shows Joshi looking healthy.
The broader humanitarian context remains dire. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed during the last two years of conflict in Gaza. About 1,200 people were killed during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, while more than 251 people, including Bipin Joshi, were taken captive.
This latest ceasefire is the third since 7 October 2023, following previous agreements in November 2023 and January 2025. The 20-point deal, facilitated by intermediaries from the US, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, includes terms for Hamas to relinquish its arms and for Gaza, devastated by years of conflict, to be governed by a Palestinian body of independent technocrats. Israeli troops are scheduled to withdraw in phases from the area.
While Hamas has agreed to relinquish control of Gaza, it has rejected demands for full disarmament, stating the group will demobilize but is prepared to resume fighting if Israel breaches the ceasefire.
Following the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza have begun the long process of returning to homes that have been reduced to rubble by Israel’s two-year assault. Humanitarian aid flows into the city have also increased following the peace agreement. Previously, Israel’s closure of humanitarian corridors had blocked the entry of essential food and medicine into Gaza, causing widespread famine.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that the restriction of aid had left as many as 54,600 children acutely malnourished.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump landed in Israel on Monday as hostages were being released. World leaders are expected to convene in Egypt for an international summit to discuss the next steps for Gaza, Israel, and the broader West Asia region.
https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepali-hostage-in-gaza-not-alive
