The body of Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old Nepali agricultural student who was taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack, has been returned to Israel. Late on October 13, the Palestinian militant group transferred the remains of four individuals, including Joshi, Guy Ilouz, Yoshi Sharabi, and Daniel Perez, via the Red Cross. Israeli military and security personnel escorted the coffins.
The bodies were taken to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Israel for official identification. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that Joshi’s body had been delivered to the facility for identity verification and to determine the exact cause of death.
Earlier that day, Nepal’s Ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, told Setopati that the IDF had informed the embassy of Joshi’s death. Hamas later announced the return of the bodies and confirmed the deaths of all four individuals, including Joshi.
Joshi had arrived in Israel just three weeks before the October 7th attack, as part of the “Learn and Earn” agricultural training program. He and a group of fellow Nepali students had been working and studying at Kibbutz Alumim, learning modern farming techniques while working on a citrus and lemon farm.
When Hamas militants stormed the kibbutz that morning, Joshi and his classmates were caught in the attack. Ten of his fellow Nepali students were killed, and Joshi was taken hostage. He was the only Hindu abducted by Hamas during the assault.
Before his abduction, Joshi managed to send a final message to his cousin in English. “If something happens to me, you have to take care of my family. Be strong and always look toward the future,” he wrote, according to sources.
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