KATHMANDU: The premises of Tribhuvan International Airport became deeply somber after the body of Bipin Joshi, who died while in the custody of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, was brought to Kathmandu on Monday.

At the memorial service held at the airport, Prime Minister Sushila Karki draped the national flag over his body. As the Prime Minister offered a garland, the eyes of Bipin’s relatives, Prakash Joshi and Narad Joshi, welled up.

In the moment filled with grief, Prakash and Narad briefly told reporters, “It is done, let’s not say anything now.”

The formal information of Bipin’s death was given by Hamas on October 13, 738 days after he was taken into custody.

These days were extremely stressful not only for Bipin’s family but for the entire nation.

On October 7, 2023, ten Nepali students were killed in an attack by Hamas in the southern part of Israel.

After that, the Nepal government remained unaware of Bipin, who was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim and taken to Gaza, for two years.

The family continued to live in hope. And after two years, contrary to the wishes of the entire nation, he returned in a coffin.

Hamas finally handed over Bipin’s body to Israeli officials after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, along with the agreement for the release of hostages and the return of bodies.

The body was then brought to Nepal after completing various paperwork procedures.

Arrangements have been made to transport Bipin’s body from the airport to Dhangadhi by air today and from there to his home in Kanchanpur.

“Bipin will remain in the hearts and minds of thirty million Nepalis,” said Prime Minister Sushila Karki while expressing condolences, “He was a brave young man; he could have survived if he had wanted to, but he was lost trying to save others.”

As Prime Minister Karki said, Bipin was truly brave, as he saved the lives of others by throwing away a grenade thrown by Hamas.

All the Nepalis who died in the October 7, 2023, attack had gone to Israel under the ‘Learn and Earn’ program while studying at the Faculty of Agricultural Science at Far Western University.

Bipin was working at an agricultural farm near the border of Gaza. Out of seventeen Nepali students working at the agricultural farm, ten were killed in the attack, and four others were injured. At that time, two others were safe while Bipin went missing.

Later, it was revealed that Bipin was kidnapped and taken hostage by Hamas.

A video showing Bipin alive was released by Hamas until November of the same year.

The students who worked at the same farm as Bipin and were rescued and returned to Nepal after the attack, said that he saved them by throwing away the grenade thrown by Hamas.

“We are sad, we thought we would be able to give Bipin a grand welcome and send him home,” Karki said, “Unfortunately, only his body has returned. He had gone abroad to build his future. How much hardship and suffering he must have endured during the kidnapping, no one among the thirty million Nepalis can forget these three words, Bipin.”

Home Minister Omprakash Aryal, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising, Information and Technology Minister Jagadish Kharel, Chief Secretary Eknarayan Aryal, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Israeli Ambassador Smulik Arie Bass, and representatives of the Nepali Army and Police arrived to pay their respects.

The Fly Dubai aircraft carrying the body landed at Tribhuvan Airport at 2:19 PM on Monday afternoon.

The body will be taken by Nepali Army’s Sky Truck to Dhangadhi and from there to his home in Bhimdatta Municipality-3, Kanchanpur.

His last rites will be performed in Kanchanpur.