Nepal holds candlelight vigil for Bipin Joshi, student killed in Hamas captivity during Gaza war

Bipin Joshi had gone to Israel for a study programme.

Nepal held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday evening for student Bipin Joshi, who was killed while in Hamas custody after being kidnapped in October 2023. Dozens of young people gathered at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu to commemorate Joshi, who was in Israel under the “Learn and Earn” scheme and was kidnapped by the militant group on October 7, 2023. For Bipin Joshi. Actually, he died two years ago, but we learned this after the official statement made recently. For two years we lived with the hope that Bipin Joshi would come back. Even though he is not physically here, he will always be remembered,” Rakshya Bam, one of the participants of the candlelight vigil, told ANI.

Israeli officials confirmed Joshi’s death on October 14, following the surrender of the remains of those who died in Hamas captivity. On Tuesday, Nepalese Foreign Minister Amrit Bahadur Rai had a telephone conversation with Eden Bar Tal, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bar Tal officially informed the Nepalese side about the sad death of Bipin Joshi and expressed his condolences to his family, the Government of Nepal and the people of Nepal on behalf of the Israeli government. Hamas returned Joshi’s body to Israel through the Red Cross on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also reported that Bipin Joshi, who was kidnapped from a shelter in Kibbutz Alumim when he was 23, was killed in captivity in the first months of the Gaza war, which began in October 2023.

Joshi, a student under Israel’s Learn and Earn Program, was working with 16 other Nepalis at the Alumim kibbutz when Hamas launched the attack. In the attack, 10 Nepalese died, 5 were injured, and 1 escaped uninjured. Joshi’s whereabouts were unknown until his death was confirmed. His name was not on the list of 20 living hostages previously released under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Israeli officials informed Ambassador Pandit and Joshi’s family about his death in a virtual meeting on Monday. Successive Nepalese governments have pursued all possible diplomatic channels to secure Joshi’s release; He had contacted officials from Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and the United States. Joshi’s family, who went to Israel and the USA to seek his release, are now waiting for his body to be returned to Nepal.

(Except for the title, this news has not been edited by the DNA team and is published from ANI news agency).