KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 13

The hopes of safe return of Bipin Joshi - a Nepali national who was among the dozens of foreign workers kidnapped alongside the Israelis during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack - were dashed today as it was confirmed he was no longer alive. "We have received an unofficial update that Joshi's body is among the four dead hostages to be delivered to Israel by Hamas," Nepali Ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit told THT over the phone.

All the 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free today as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas said today that it would release the bodies of four of 28 deceased Israeli captives, though it was not immediately clear when the rest would be sent back to Israel. Israel said it has released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had issued a statement saying: "It has been learnt that Joshi's name is not among the hostages to be released today, and his condition is unknown."

The statement reiterated that the Nepal government had made every possible effort at various levels over the last two years to ensure Joshi's safe release.

The MoFA also stated that at 7:30am local time in Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) held a virtual meeting with the Nepali ambassador; Joshi's brother, mother, and sister; officials from Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Israeli Prime Minister's Office, during which it was revealed that Joshi's name was not on the list and his status was unknown.

Joshi's friend, Bibhusha Adhikari, who returned after the deadly attack, had shared earlier with THT the heroic act that Joshi had displayed during the attack. According to her, two grenades were thrown into his room, and Joshi picked up the grenades and threw them back at the assailants. In doing so, he saved the lives of 17 people, including six working on the farm. "If he had hesitated back then, we would not have been alive," Adhikari had said.

Until recently, Joshi - who hailed from Bhimdatta Municipality-3, Kanchanpur and had arrived in Israel only a month before the attack - was the only non-Israeli hostage believed to be alive in Gaza. He had reached 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 programme were killed during the attack.