Nepal’s Bipin Joshi not Among Freed Hostages

Bipin Joshi, who was held captive by Hamas in Gaza, is not among the 20 living hostages freed by the militants today. With all the living hostages released in two phases on Monday, October 13, Bipin was not among them.

Earlier in the morning, a video conference was held between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Nepal’s Ambassador to Israel Dhan Prasad Pandit, Joshi’s family members including his sister currently in the United States, his brother in Nepal and representatives from the Nepali Embassy in Israel and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

During the call, the IDF conveyed the news to Bipin’s family that he may not be alive. The confirmation by the IDF comes on the day when a new round of hostage releases took place as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, mediated by US President Trump.

Just a day earlier, the Joshi family had expressed hope for Bipin’s safe return after being informed by Israeli officials that he was not included in the immediate release list but that updates would continue. That hope has now turned into grief, as the family including his father Mahananda Joshi from Bhimdutta Municipality of Kanchanpur in Nepal’s Far West awaits his son’s return.

Bipin Joshi had gone to Israel as a student and was reported missing following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Since then, both the Government of Nepal and Bipin’s family have consistently worked to seek his safe release.

More than 200 hostages have been released in the past two years as part of various ceasefire and exchange agreements between Israel and Hamas. The Government of Nepal is yet to issue an official statement on the new developments.