Who was Bipin Joshi? Nepalese student, ‘only Hindu’ taken hostage in Israel declared dead by Hamas
Bipin Joshi, a student from Nepal, was declared dead by Hamas on Monday. Joshi had arrived in Israel from his native Nepal a month before October 7 attack
Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released the names of four deceased hostages on Monday, October 13. The Palestinian militant group said their bodies will be handed over on Monday.
However, the statement does not specify when the transfer will take place.
The four deceased were identified as Bipin Joshi, Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz. Several reports claim that Bipin Joshi was the only Hindu captured by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, conflict.
Twenty-six hostages were formally declared dead by Israeli authorities, based on forensics and intelligence.
Who was Bipin Joshi?
Bipin Joshi was an agriculture student from Nepal. He was working on a farm in kibbutz Alumim when he was kidnapped. He was 22 at the time. It is unclear when Joshi died.
According to news agency PTI, Bipin Joshi had arrived in Israel from his native Nepal a month before the attack. He had been the only non-Israeli hostage believed to be alive in Gaza.
He came to Israel on a student exchange to work and study agriculture at kibbutz Alumim on the Gaza border. Ten of the 17 Nepali students in the program were killed during the attack.
Joshi, who was able to throw a number of live grenades out of the bomb shelter where they were hiding, was injured and kidnapped, PTI reported.
Joshi’s sister, 17-year-old Pushpa Joshi, used to regularly travel eight hours each way on buses to Kathmandu from her home in western Nepal to lobby officials to secure her brother’s release.
In August, Bipin Joshi's family travelled to Israel to meet with President Isaac Herzog and join families demonstrating in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square.
Last week, Joshi’s family released footage of him in captivity filmed under duress from around November 2023.
Hamas released 20 hostages on Oct 13
On Monday (Oct 13), Hamas released 20 hostages into the custody of the Red Cross, which then brought them to Israel as part of a new ceasefire deal. Under the agreement, all living hostages were to be released, as well as the bodies of the deceased.
Names of 20 hostages released:
Gali Berman & Ziv Berman, 28
Omri Miran, 48
Matan Angrest, 22
Eitan Mor, 25
Alon Ohel, 24
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24
Elkana Bohbot, 36
Rom Braslavski, 21
Nimrod Cohen, 21
Ariel Cunio, 28
David Cunio, 35
Evyatar David, 24
Maksym Harkin, 37
Eitan Horn, 38
Segev Kalfon, 27
Bar Kupershtein, 23
Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25
Avinatan Or, 32
Matan Zangauker, 25
(With inputs from agencies)