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Sunday, October 19, 2025

Bipin Joshi receives final honors in Israel

October 19, 2025
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TEL AVIV: The body of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi, who was killed while under Hamas captivity, has been sent back to Nepal.

At a solemn ceremony held at Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid tribute to Joshi before his repatriation.

The 23-year-old Nepali student had displayed extraordinary courage during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, at Kibbutz Alumim.

He tried to save his fellow trainees when militants stormed the site, even throwing away a grenade to protect others.

Soon after, he was abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza.

Joshi had come to Israel under the MASHAV international agricultural training program and had been deployed only about three weeks earlier to tend to orange and lemon farms.

The farewell ceremony was attended by residents of Kibbutz Alumim, representatives from the Sdot Negev Regional Council, officials from the Nepali Embassy, MASHAV head Einat Shlain, and senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials.

Israel’s coordinator for hostage affairs, Gal Hirsch, lit a candle in Joshi’s memory, saying, “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have ended this tragically.”

Paying homage to Bipin, Hirsch added, “He came to Israel to learn. Today we are sending him home with grief and pain. He was a capable student, an exceptional person, and a brave hero who fought till his last breath to save others.”

The Israeli army had retrieved the bodies of Guy Ilouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi, and Captain Daniel Perez from Gaza on October 13, bringing them back to Israel with full military honors.

Joshi’s family had been visiting Israel in recent months, seeking his release.

Before being abducted, Bipin had messaged his elder brother in English: “If something happens to me, please take care of my family. Stay strong and always look toward the future.”

On October 7, 2023, while hiding in a bunker with other trainees, Bipin and his friends had posted a selfie captioned “Bunker Time” on Facebook.

Minutes later, Hamas militants stormed the bunker, killing two students and throwing grenades.

Bipin managed to remove one grenade, saving several lives, but the second explosion injured others.

Some Thai and Nepali students later escaped and hid elsewhere, but Bipin stayed behind to help the wounded.

In doing so, he and three Thai workers were abducted by Hamas.

For months, uncertainty surrounded his fate. Though his family never gave up hope, his body was returned only last week under the Israel–Hamas ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement.