Every single day, his family lives with an agonizing question: Is he still alive? Do his captors provide him with food and clothing? Does he fear, after over 700 days in captivity, that his loved ones have lost all hope of his return?
For nearly two grueling years, the family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student kidnapped by Hamas from a rural Israeli settlement on October 7, 2023, has tirelessly fought to bring him back to their quiet Himalayan village, thousands of miles from the conflicts in Israel and Gaza.
However, their desperate diplomatic efforts to secure Mr. Joshi’s freedom have been plunged into chaos following violent anti-corruption protests in Nepal that brought down the government in September. Kathmandu’s new leaders are now struggling to staff vacant ministries and rebuild the nation’s political infrastructure from the ground up.
Thus, the fate of Mr. Joshi’s abduction, which had already faded in global awareness, has become even more precarious, caught between a swift revolution in Nepal and a protracted war in the Middle East.
“Every day, I pray to God to save his life,” shared Padma Joshi, Bipin’s 48-year-old mother, in a recent interview. “He has no involvement in this conflict. He is merely an innocent foreign student. We humbly implore Hamas to release my son.”
In 2023, Bipin Joshi, then 23, journeyed from Nepal to Israel to study and work on Kibbutz Alumim, a community near the Gaza border. Tragically, less than three weeks into his stay, Hamas militants stormed a dairy barn where he and others were seeking shelter. Israeli officials report that dozens were brutally killed in the assault, and Bipin was among those taken hostage.
Aside from a single video that seemed to show Mr. Joshi in Gaza shortly after the attack, his family has received no further updates on his condition since the Israel-Hamas war began.
However, last month brought a chilling development: Hamas released a photograph of 48 hostages still held in Gaza, including Mr. Joshi, alongside a stark message of “farewell.” Adding to the family’s despair, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations last week and listed the names of 20 presumed living hostages, Bipin Joshi’s name was notably absent. Officials now estimate that the remains of approximately 25 abductees are still held by Hamas.
Despite these grim realities, Bipin’s loved ones are unwavering in their refusal to let him be forgotten.
Since October 7, 2023, the Joshi family has embarked on arduous 24-hour journeys to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, repeatedly meeting with government officials. Their plea: to push for negotiations with Arab nations, especially Qatar, in an effort to establish communication with Hamas leadership.
In August, Bipin’s mother and sister even traveled to Israel, where they met with President Isaac Herzog and participated in public demonstrations alongside other families of hostages.
Just last week, the family traveled to New York, joining Israel’s delegation at the United Nations General Assembly to amplify Bipin’s story on the global stage. It was there that they shared their ordeal.
Since Bipin’s disappearance, his relatives have meticulously followed every development in the Gaza conflict. They anxiously await the implications of any new cease-fire proposals, especially as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza City. Previous attempts at a cease-fire had brought the Joshi family immense hope, only for it to be crushed by failure.
Many in Israel fear that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ongoing military operations in Gaza could further endanger the hostages captured during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in 2023. That attack resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 abductions. Since the war began, over 65,000 Gazans have been killed, according to local officials who do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
“We hold onto the belief that he will return very soon,” expressed Pushpa Joshi, 18, Bipin’s sister, who has dedicated herself to learning English to better advocate for his release. “We will fulfill our dreams; we will travel, create many vlogs, and sing together. We will dance in our room, just like we used to.”
Yet, even Pushpa, who herself took part in the recent Nepali protests, acknowledges the challenging road ahead.
Nepal’s foreign ministry, once tasked with vital diplomatic initiatives including Mr. Joshi’s case, is now a mere shadow of its former self from just a month ago. A damage assessment team in Nepal reported that approximately three-quarters of the 380 federal government buildings impacted by the recent protests suffered partial damage or total destruction.
The previous foreign minister, Arzu Rana Deuba, saw her home set ablaze and was reportedly assaulted by enraged protesters. Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has now absorbed the duties of foreign minister, adding complex diplomatic responsibilities to her already extensive role.
“They are currently operating out of just three small rooms,” stated Shaswot Lamichhane, 18, an activist who participated in leadership discussions with the Nepali Army after the protests. He has now taken it upon himself to organize efforts to ensure that the foreign ministry does not overlook Bipin’s plight.
“With so much turmoil in Nepal, it’s incredibly difficult for anyone to concentrate on external issues,” he explained in a recent phone interview, describing the ministry as “paralyzed right now.”
Bhumika Bista, 23, Bipin’s closest friend who considers him like a brother, echoed these concerns in a recent phone conversation: “Everyone is preoccupied with establishing new ministries, a new government, and new national laws, so his case has unfortunately stalled again. The family has approached every relevant authority for help, but their appeals have been largely ignored due to the government’s overwhelming domestic agenda.”
A spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide an immediate comment. However, in a statement released on September 10, the ministry affirmed that Nepal was “closely observing the unfolding situation in the Middle East” and was “waiting for the release” of Mr. Joshi. A month prior, before the protests, another ministry statement acknowledged that Bipin’s condition was unknown but stated that the country was engaged in multilateral efforts to secure his return.
Pushpa Joshi was only in 10th grade when she received the devastating news of her brother’s kidnapping. Since then, she often finds herself sending WhatsApp messages into the void, knowing they will never reach him.
“Hello, my brother,” she texts the void. “Where are you? I miss you so much.”
In September, his relatives met with interim Prime Minister Karki of Nepal to discuss Mr. Joshi’s case. While Ms. Karki pledged that every effort would be made to bring him home, Pushpa remains concerned that the Prime Minister is too consumed with governing the country to dedicate sufficient attention to her brother’s plight.
Bipin’s abduction has created a profound void in the family’s life. His mother’s distress is so deep that she often speaks to her missing son in her sleep. Each year, when Raksha Bandan, the Hindu festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, arrives, Pushpa retreats to her room, overwhelmed by the absence.
They yearn for the simple, everyday moments they once shared. Bipin would cycle his younger sister to school and encourage her to write essays on global issues. A passionate soccer fan, he is described as adventurous, selfless, and possessing a talent for poetry.
During his initial days in Israel, he penned a poem for his mother in his diary, which was later returned to the family among his belongings. His sister provided a poignant translation:
“Mother, your little child has grown so tall,
Yet I still run to your arms when I fall.
Mother, today I chase horizons wide,
But your lullabies still echo inside.”