Kathmandu, 08 Aug: The Israeli government is preparing to bring Padma, the mother of Bipin Joshi, and his sister Pushpa to Israel and take them to the United Nations in an effort to increase international pressure for the release of Bipin, who is being held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have said that their visa and other necessary documents have been processed and that they will be brought soon.
The Israeli government has planned to send them to the United States to meet with United Nations officials.
“The plan is to request the UN to take initiative and exert pressure for Bipin’s release, and also arrange a meeting with the U.S. President,” said Sagi Karni, head of the Middle Eastern Asia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Karni stated that of the 50 people under Hamas control, only about 20 are believed to be alive.
“We are not in a position to say clearly who among those 20 are alive and who have already died,” he added.
Captain Nadav Ben Yehuda of the Israeli Special Forces said they are making every possible effort to secure Bipin’s release.
“I will personally come to Kathmandu for Bipin, and we believe we will succeed,” he said.
Nepali Ambassador to Israel Dhan Prasad Poudel said that neither the Israeli government nor any other source has been able to clearly confirm Bipin’s current situation.
Hamas has also not released any information regarding him.
“The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Nepal have been requesting several countries to facilitate dialogue with both Israel and Hamas on Bipin’s matter,” he said.
On October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked a kibbutz in southern Israel, 1,200 people were killed, and 251 individuals, including Bipin, were taken hostage. Bipin had gone to Israel under the “Learn and Earn” program to study agriculture. In the Hamas attack, 10 Nepali students lost their lives in the same kibbutz.
Following the Hamas assault, Israeli strikes on Palestine have killed more than 60,000 people, including around 18,500 children and 9,700 women, according to the BBC. The 22-month-long war has left about 150,000 people injured.
Some time ago, during a brief ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba made a phone appeal to Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz Al Khulaifi, for the release of Bipin.
She had also appealed to the Israeli government for Bipin’s release through the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Shmulik Ari Bass. Ambassador Bass informed Minister Rana that the Israeli government had received information that Hamas was planning to release 34 hostages, including the elderly, women, children, and people in fragile health conditions.
During that period, Hamas did release some hostages, but Bipin was not among them. Meanwhile, Bipin’s family has repeatedly met with the President, Prime Minister, and other high-ranking officials, requesting efforts for his release. The family has even had a virtual conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. They have also met several times with the Israeli Ambassador stationed in Nepal.
