- Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese student kidnapped by Hamas, was found dead
- Joshi was captured after saving fellow students from a grenade during a Hamas attack in 2023
- Hamas handed over Joshi's body and three other hostages' remains to Israeli authorities
As the US President Donald Trump-led Middle East peace summit moved forward with a landmark Gaza peace deal, marked by Hamas releasing 20 living hostages, a sombre development cast a shadow over the breakthrough. The body of Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese Hindu student kidnapped by Hamas more than two years ago, has been returned to Israel.
Nepal's Ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, confirmed to Nepali media outlet Republica that Joshi's remains were en route to Tel Aviv late Monday night.
"The body of Bipin Joshi was handed over to Israeli authorities by Hamas and is being taken to Tel Aviv," Pandit said.
Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin also confirmed that Hamas had returned the bodies of four hostages, including Joshi's, to Israeli custody.
DNA testing will be conducted before the remains are repatriated to Nepal, with final rites to be performed in Israel in coordination with the Nepali embassy.
Joshi's journey from a small town in Nepal to the conflict zone of Gaza began in September 2023, when he joined 16 fellow students for an agricultural study and work program at Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza border. The program aimed to provide hands-on training in Israeli farming practices - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the young students.
That opportunity turned tragic on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel. Sirens blared, and the students took refuge in a bomb shelter. Moments later, gunfire and explosions erupted. Hamas terrorists hurled grenades into the shelter - one detonated, injuring several students, but Joshi acted instantly, grabbing the second grenade and throwing it out before it exploded, saving lives.
He was subsequently captured by Hamas gunmen and taken into Gaza. In the days that followed, video footage released by the Israeli military appeared to show Joshi being dragged into Gaza's Shifa Hospital, his last known sighting alive. His friends and family clung to hope for his safe return, while his mother and sister traveled to Israel and the United States to plead for his release.
Bipin Joshi would have turned 25 on October 26.
This week, as peace negotiators praised progress in the Gaza peace deal, Joshi's fate served as a poignant reminder of the deep scars left by the conflict across the Middle East.
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