KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 13

"I want to plead with everyone to save Bipin Joshi. He is the real hero. He saved the lives of 17 people," said Bibhusha Adhikari of Chitwan to media persons gathered at Tribhuvan International Airport early morning today.

Bipin Joshi of Bhimdatta Municipality-3, Kanchanpur has been missing since Saturday. Although it was told to his friends that he had been shot, the students later informed that he could not be traced as he had been taken hostage by Hamas.

Adhikari said, "Two grenades were thrown into his room. He threw the grenade with his hands and saved the lives of 17 people, including six of them from the farm. If he had not thrown a grenade, we would not have been alive."

He saved our lives but Hamas took him hostage later.

Thailand has already rescued its citizens who had been held hostage, according to Adhikari.

"I want to request everyone to use all our strength to bring back our real hero, Bipin Joshi," said Adhikari.

Similarly, Himachal Kattel from Gorkha, who is undergoing treatment in Israeli hospital after being seriously injured in the attack by Hamas, has expressed his concern regarding Bipin Joshi's status through a video on social media. In a video shared by Kattel, he said Bipin Joshi was taken hostage by Palestinians along with 2-3 people from Thailand.

"Namaste, I am Himachal Kattel. I am currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Israel. My friend Bipin is missing. It seems to me that enough effort isn't being made to find him. I saw him taken away. I saw him being taken hostage along with 2 or 3 Thais," he said.

He further said, "I want to plead with the government that, if possible, please take the lead in the investigation as soon as possible to trace Joshi."

He said the hostages were taken from near the border area of the war-torn Gaza region.

Himachal, who shared the video from the hospital bed, is now out of danger.

Likewise, Bipin Subedi of Dang, who arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport this morning, expressed his pain after coming to Nepal without Joshi.

"We came with a dream. The dream has been shattered. One of our pleas is to search for our friend Bipin Joshi. Even though we survived, it is going to be hard to live with this feeling that our friend is not with us. I urge the government to do something," he said.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sewa Lamsal said the investigation to find Bipin Joshi was on. In yesterday's press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said, "We are searching for Bipin Joshi but we have yet to reach any conclusions in relation to him."

Today, 253 Nepali nationals rescued from Israel were brought to Nepal at 1:30am.

They were brought home on a wide-body 274-seater aircraft A330 of the Nepal Airlines Corporation.

Government officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs NP Saud, had gone to Israel to bring them back.

"A total of 557 Nepalis had provided their details in response to the request of the Embassy of Nepal based in Tel Aviv, Israel, to the Nepalis wanting to relocate to safer places and return to Nepal. Out of 557 Nepalis, 503 had applied to return to Nepal and among them 253 have returned home today with us," Minister NP Saud said. "Nepalis who have sought repatriation will also be rescued soon," he added.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times