KANCHANPUR, Oct 21: Draped in the national flag, the body of Bipin Joshi, the Nepali student killed while being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, was cremated with national honors on Tuesday morning at Bhujela Aryaghat on the banks of the Mahakali River.
A contingent of the Armed Police Force (APF) paid a ceremonial salute as hundreds gathered to pay their final respects to the young student whose life ended tragically in a foreign land.
Joshi’s funeral procession began at 8 AM from his home in Bhasi, Bhimdatta Municipality–3. On Monday evening, as homes across Nepal were illuminated for Laxmi Puja, a somber glow filled the Joshi household when his body arrived—two years and thirteen days after his abduction. The family’s long wait to see him alive ended in heartbreak.
His remains were flown to Tribhuvan International Airport aboard a FlyDubai flight, where Prime Minister Sushila Karki paid tribute by draping the national flag over his coffin. Ministers, Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Shmulik Arie Bass, and other dignitaries were also present. From Kathmandu, his body was airlifted to Dhangadhi aboard a Nepali Army Sky Truck and later transported by hearse to his hometown. Officials from the Israeli Embassy were also present during the handover.
‘ No evidence yet found of Bipin Joshi’s survival ’
Joshi had been abducted on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas assault on Israel. Israeli authorities confirmed his death six days later, on October 13, and later identified his remains through DNA testing following a ceasefire and the handover of bodies by Hamas. The precise circumstances of his death remain unclear.
Tragedy strikes weeks after arrival
A final-semester agriculture student at Far Western University, Joshi had left for Israel on September 12, 2023, under the government’s “Learn and Earn” program. He was among 17 Nepali students working at an agricultural farm in Alumim, near Gaza.
When Hamas militants launched their deadly attack on October 7, the students took shelter in a bunker. The attackers stormed in, firing indiscriminately and throwing grenades. Ten students were killed, six injured, and Joshi went missing.
Days later, a video surfaced showing Joshi walking inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, confirming he had been taken hostage. His family clung to hope after the Israeli army later released a video suggesting he was alive.
His mother Padma and sister Pushpa traveled to Israel and later to the US, pleading with international leaders for his release. Their hope finally ended when his body was repatriated last week.
According to survivor Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary of Tikapur, Kailali, Joshi displayed remarkable courage during the attack. “He picked up a grenade thrown into the bunker and threw it back, saving many of us,” Chaudhary recalled.
Sudurpaschim’s collective grief
Joshi was among 11 Nepali students who died in the Hamas assault, eight of them from Sudurpaschim Province.
The group had gone to Israel as part of the Learn and Earn program—spending ten months there while completing their final semester in agricultural science. Under the program, they studied one day a week, worked five days, and had one day off. It was the first time the university had sent students abroad under this initiative.
Many of them came from humble backgrounds, driven by hopes of building a better future for their families. But barely four weeks after arriving in Israel, those dreams were shattered in a brutal attack that claimed the lives of Nepal’s promising youth.
