KATHMANDU, Oct 20: The body of Bipin Joshi, the Nepali student abducted and subsequently murdered by Hamas militants, has arrived in Kathmandu after nearly two years of uncertainty and grief for his family.
A formal farewell ceremony is being held at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), where Prime Minister Sushila Karki has offered national honors by wrapping the national flag to the remains of Joshi. Ministers from the interim cabinet including Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Minister of Information and Communication Technology Jagdish Kharel and Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Kulman Ghising, along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) are paying homage to Bipin.
15 months of captivity, Bipin Joshi’s return still in limbo
According to officials, Joshi’s body will be flown later today to his hometown in Kanchanpur, where his family will perform the final rites.
Joshi, who had gone to Israel under the Learn and Earn program, was among 17 Nepali students caught in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. Ten students were killed that day, while Joshi had been missing ever since. After extensive diplomatic efforts and negotiations, Israel confirmed his death earlier this month and facilitated the repatriation of his remains to Nepal.
The MoFA had earlier expressed deep condolences to Joshi’s family and thanked the Government of Israel for its cooperation in the identification and repatriation process. The ministry also acknowledged the patience and courage shown by Joshi’s family during the long period of uncertainty.
With his return, Nepal concludes one of the most tragic chapters linked to the 2023 Israel–Hamas conflict, which claimed the lives of multiple Nepali students studying in Israel.
