Kathmandu, October 13
Israeli military officials have confirmed that Bipin Joshi, who was held captive by Hamas in Israel, is no longer alive.
An official from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) formally informed on Monday at 7:30 AM local time in Israel that Joshi is deceased.”
The official conveyed this information via video conference to Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, Joshi’s sister residing in the United States, Joshi’s brother Kishor in Nepal, and two officials from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, said Ambassador Pandit.
Speaking to Onlinekhabar over the phone, Ambassador Pandit said, “The IDF officials told us that Bipin is no more.”
Following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered with the initiative of the United States, a program is scheduled today to release living and deceased captives held by Hamas. Joshi’s name is not on the list of 20 people set to be released today.
Bipin Joshi from Kanchanpur had gone to Israel for studies and was taken hostage by Hamas during an attack on a Kibbutz area on October 7, 2023. During that attack, 10 Nepali students were killed. Hamas fighters had taken Joshi with them.
On November 17, 2023, Bipin was reportedly seen at Al Shifa Hospital in the Gaza region. After that, his whereabouts were unknown. Last Wednesday evening, an old video of Bipin was released.
To ascertain Joshi’s status, his mother and sister had previously traveled to Israel and returned under government initiative. They are currently in the United States.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts by the government to make Joshi’s status public, there has been no progress so far.
