Kathmandu, 10 Oct: Following the agreement on a truce with Israel, a list of 20 hostages to be released by Hamas militants has been made public. However, the name of Nepal’s Bipin Joshi is not on this list.
Dhan Prasad Pandit, the Nepali ambassador to Israel, has confirmed that Bipin’s name is not on the list of those scheduled to be freed. According to him, all 20 individuals to be released by Monday are living Israeli citizens. Through American mediation, Israel and Hamas had agreed on Thursday to halt the two-year-long war. As part of the first phase of this agreement, it was decided that Hamas would release a total of 50 individuals, both living and deceased, who were in their captivity.
The current condition of Bipin, who was captured by Hamas from the Kibbutz community in Israel, remains unclear to this day. Ambassador Pandit states that he is in continuous contact with Israeli authorities and is actively trying to ascertain Bipin’s status. However, he reports that no concrete information has been obtained so far.
Ambassador Pandit said, “There is still no information about Bipin’s well-being. We are hopeful that we will soon receive information about his condition, whatever it may be.”
H.E. Ambassador Dhan Prasad Pandit
Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also report that efforts are being made to determine Bipin’s condition, but no information has been successfully obtained yet. An official from the Ministry stated that information about Bipin could come through at any moment, regarding any potential development.
A source within the Ministry relayed, “We have received a message from the Israeli government, essentially stating that information about Bipin, concerning any possible condition, could arrive at any time, and the family should be prepared for that news.”
Bipin Joshi from Kanchanpur, who was in Israel for studies, was taken hostage on October 7 during Hamas’s attack on the Kibbutz area. During that assault, ten Nepali students were killed. Hamas militants had taken Bipin with them.
Bipin was last seen on November 17, 2023, at the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza area. However, his condition since then has been unknown. Ambassador Pandit also clarified that a 33-second video made public on Wednesday evening is old footage from that same period, providing no new information about his current status. The diplomatic efforts continue as authorities and Bipin’s family anxiously await any definitive news.
