Where is Bipin Joshi? Nepali hostage reportedly alive in Gaza but finds no spot on Hamas release list

Bipin Joshi, a 24-year-old Nepali student who was abducted by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel, remains in captivity as uncertainty continues over his fate. Despite reports suggesting he is alive, Joshi’s name is not included on the latest list of hostages set to be released by Hamas.

According to the Palestinian news agency Shehab, Hamas on Monday published the names of 20 hostages to be freed under a new US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel. However, Joshi’s name was missing from the list.

Abduction During the October 7 Attack

Joshi had been working at a farm in southern Israel as part of a student training programme in agriculture. He was among a group of Nepali students kidnapped by Hamas during the surprise assault. He is also the only Hindu among the foreign nationals believed to have been captured.

During the attack, Joshi reportedly displayed remarkable bravery. According to The Times of Israel, he managed to deflect a grenade thrown by Hamas gunmen, saving the lives of several Israelis who were hiding with him in a safe room. Tragically, ten of his Nepali classmates were killed in the same incident.

Moments before being taken hostage, Joshi sent a series of messages to his cousin in Nepal. “If something happens to me, you have to take care of my family. Be strong and always look toward the future,” he wrote.

Glimpse Through Video Evidence

For months, there was no trace of Joshi until Israeli forces recovered a video from Gaza earlier this year. The footage, believed to have been recorded weeks after his kidnapping, was later shown to his family.

The 30-second video shows Joshi introducing himself, apparently under Hamas’s direction. “My name is Bipin Joshi. I am from Nepal. I am 23 years old. I came here for the ‘Learn and Earn’ programme. I am a student,” he says calmly.

Joshi’s family said the video gave them renewed hope. “It was an anchor of firm faith that he is still alive,” a relative told local media.

Who is Bipin Joshi?

Bipin Joshi is a 23-year-old agriculture student from Nepal who travelled to Israel in September 2023 for an agricultural training placement. He was one of 17 Nepali students selected by the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu under its flagship 'Learn and Earn' programme.

The students were placed at Kibbutz Alumim, a farming community near the Gaza border. On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched its deadly assault, killing civilians, foreign workers, and students. At Kibbutz Alumim alone, 22 Israelis and 35 others in the surrounding area were murdered.

Nearly two years later, the mystery of Bipin Joshi’s whereabouts remains unresolved. While new ceasefire agreements continue to bring hope to families of the hostages, Nepal still waits anxiously for the return of its only citizen held in Gaza.