Daijiworld Media Network - Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv, Oct. 14: As the Trump-led Middle East peace summit marked a historic Gaza ceasefire with Hamas releasing 20 living hostages, a tragic note emerged with the return of Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese Hindu student kidnapped over two years ago.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, confirmed that Joshi’s remains were handed over by Hamas and were en route to Tel Aviv. Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin also verified that Joshi was among four hostages whose bodies were returned to Israeli custody. DNA testing will precede repatriation to Nepal, with final rites conducted in Israel in coordination with the Nepali embassy.

Joshi, from a small town in Nepal, had joined 16 students in September 2023 for an agricultural training program at Kibbutz Alumim near Gaza. On October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, Joshi saved several students by throwing out a live grenade, only to be captured by Hamas shortly after. Video footage later showed him being taken into Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, marking his last known sighting alive.

Bipin Joshi was set to turn 25 on October 26. His tragic story serves as a solemn reminder of the human cost of the conflict even as negotiators celebrated the Gaza peace deal.