 "A poster of hostage Bipin Joshi, a citizen of Nepal, displayed at the protest camp for hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack, in the vicinity of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence. After 738 days, his body was released to Israel with officials informing the family of the loss. File image/Reuters")
Seven hundred and thirty-eight days. That’s the amount of time that it took for the family of Nepal’s Bipin Joshi to learn of his fate after he was taken captive by Hamas militants back on October 7, 2023.
And unfortunately, the family of the Nepali didn’t receive the news they prayed for; his remains was among the four deceased hostages returned by Hamas on Monday. The other three bodies returned to Israel were of — Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz.
The handover of the bodies came hours after Hamas released all 20 remaining living captives held in Gaza as part of the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan . In turn, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
But who was Bipin Joshi? How did he land up becoming one of Hamas’ hostages? We get you his tragic tale.
Bipin’s journey from Nepal to Israel
Bipin, hailing from Nepal, had made his way to Israel as an agricultural student in September 2023 as part of the Learn and Earn programme. The then 23-year-old spent his days working in citrus fields on Kibbutz Alumim in Israel.
Notably, his Israel visit was the first time that Bipin had left home and Nepal.
Bipin taken hostage on October 7, 2023
On October 7, 2023, Bipin was working at a farm in southern Israel as part of his study programme, when Hamas militants stormed the area. In the ensuing attack, 10 fellow Nepalis were killed, five were injured, and one escaped unharmed. Joshi and a Thai national were taken hostage.
According to those who escaped, Bipin was trying to reach a safe room when the attackers stormed in. Moreover, he even tried to throw back a grenade to protect others inside the safe room, a moment of courage that has now become a symbol of his bravery.
Once taken hostage, no one knew of his fate. His family search for his whereabouts, but to no avail. Bipin’s 17-year-old sister, Pushpa Joshi, often travelled eight hours each way on buses to Kathmandu from her home in western Nepal to lobby officials to secure her brother’s release. The government of Nepal also stepped in, trying to glean information from their Israeli counterparts, but no answers came.
In November 2023, a glimmer of hope appeared when a man looking similar to Bipin was allegedly seen in hospital footage from Gaza. But the video never became solid proof of life. Rumours came and went “He’s there,” “He’s alive” but no confirmation.
In fact, the video from November 2023 was released just a few days ago. In the 33-second-long video, Bipin introduces himself in English. “My name is Bipin Joshi. I am from Nepal. I am 23 years old. I came here to Israel 25 days ago. I came here for the ‘Learn and Earn’ programme. I am a student,” he said. “I work in agricultural farm[ing] in citrus and lemon farm.”
Their efforts to get information on Bipin also saw the Joshi family visiting Israel in August where they met President Isaac Herzog. During the meeting, Bipin’s mother was quoted as saying, “It’s too much heartbreak for me and my family. I want to thank Israel from the bottom of my heart for standing with us. I thank God for giving us hope. And it’s my appeal to the international community, please: We can’t imagine how he’s living there. I ask the international community, please, do whatever you can.”
Then, in September, they even travelled to New York as part of Israel’s delegation at the United Nations General Assembly to bring his case to the world’s attention.
And how did the family cope with Bipin’s captivity? They did not. His sister told the New York Times that she would send him messages on WhatsApp, though none went through. “Hello, my brother,” she texted. “Where are you? I miss you so much.” His mother was so distraught that she became prone to speaking to her absent son in her sleep.
Family finally learns of Bipin’s fate
Bipin’s family hoped to receive good news on October 13, the day it was decided that Hamas would hand over all 20 hostages to Israel after both, the Palestinian militant group and Israel, agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
Hours before the scheduled release was to take place, Hamas’ Qassam Brigades released a list of the lucky 20 who would be released. Bipin’s name didn’t appear on that list.
Later, on Monday afternoon, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief spokesman Brigadier General Effie Deffrin confirmed that only four deceased hostages would be returned by Hamas on Monday evening.
They then formally confirmed to the Nepali embassy that Joshi was no longer alive. Officials informed Bipin’s sister via video call that his name wasn’t on the list of surviving hostages. For the family, that was enough to accept the bitter truth.
Hamas released bodies of four hostages
After Hamas released the 20 hostages to Israel, it also released four coffins of deceased hostages. The four bodies belong to Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and Daniel Perez.
Besides Joshi being taken from a kibbutz, Illouz was taken captive from the Nova festival and succumbed to his wounds in a Gaza hospital, apparently due to lack of medical treatment. His death was confirmed in December 2023.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Perez, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Yad Binyamin, was killed battling Hamas on October 7, 2023. Sharabi, 53, the brother of freed hostage Eli Sharabi, from Kibbutz Be’eri, was kidnapped from his home on October 7 and slain in captivity.
With inputs from agencies