Kathmandu: The militant group Hamas has officially confirmed the death of Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who had been held captive in Gaza since the deadly Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023.
His body, along with the remains of three other hostages, is scheduled to be transferred to Israeli authorities later today as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered after two years of conflict, BBC reported.
Joshi, 25, was among a group of Nepali agriculture students participating in Israel’s “Learn and Earn” program when Hamas militants attacked Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023. In that assault, more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage and transported into Gaza. Joshi, captured alive during the attack, had not been heard from for months — with the only confirmed sighting being a grainy video shared by Hamas showing him in Gaza.
Mediating groups involved in the release of remaining hostages earlier reported that Joshi was not among those freed during the latest exchange, leaving his fate uncertain.
Israeli officials later informed Nepali diplomats and Joshi’s family that he had not been confirmed alive, and the latest announcement marks the first official confirmation of his death.
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