The remains of Nepalese national Bipin Joshi were confirmed on Tuesday following identification by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, along with those of Guy Illouz, and the remains of two other deceased hostages whose remains are yet to be confirmed. According to officials with Nepal’s embassy in Israel, there was no indication that Joshi was deceased, even until the last moment.
Identification was completed in collaboration with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate.
Bipin Joshi's fate
The IDF noted that, based on its intelligence, Illouz, 26, died from wounds that remained untreated while in Hamas captivity. Joshi, who was 23 years old, was also abducted alive, according to the IDF’s assessment. Joshi was taken from a shelter in Kibbutz Alumim, but was later murdered while in captivity in the early months of the war.
The final conclusions on the details of both deceased hostages are forthcoming pending the completion of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine’s examinations into the circumstances of their deaths.
“The IDF and the Prisoners and Missing Persons Directorate of the State of Israel express their deep condolences to the families, continue to make every effort to return all the hostages, and are preparing for the continued implementation of the agreement,” the IDF added.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum subsequently responded to the news, stating, “may their memories be a blessing, together with two additional deceased hostages.”
The forum expressed its hope that with the “grief and the understanding that their hearts will never be whole,” the news would bring “some measure of comfort to families who have lived with agonizing uncertainty and doubt for over two years.”
"In these difficult hours, our hearts are with the Illouz family, with the Joshi family, and with you, with all of you, the dear family members. The pressure on Hamas to continue and complete the return of the abductees continues and will intensify," Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch wrote to the families of the families of the Gaza hostages after the news regarding Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi broke. "
However, the cause of death for Joshi has not yet been shared with the public. A “proof-of-life” video for Joshi was acquired by Israeli intelligence officials, with the family choosing to publish the video after over a year of having it as an effort to put pressure on parties related to finalizing a deal.
Pushpa Joshi, Bipin’s sister, expressed confidence that he was alive and would be returning in conversation with The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “We have no power to wait anymore,” she said.
The release of the footage of Joshi last week was intended to counter fears that Bipin may no longer be alive after the last public confirmation of his status showed him in Al-Shifa Hospital.
"So many people come to me and they ask me, ‘we just see the footage of your brother in Al-Shifa Hospital. After that, we haven’t seen anything, and maybe something bad has happened to him," Pushpa shared. “Because of that, [our family] decided to release this video to say that my brother is in Gaza and he's alive."
However, Pushpa revealed that the footage is not recent. She recalled first seeing the video a year ago and confirmed that the family has not received any new information or intelligence about Bipin's condition since that time.
Nadav Ben Yehuda, Israel’s Foreign Ministry emissary at Nepal’s embassy, told the Post that this Hamas-produced content was not meant to be acquired by military forces nor broadcasted. The family had access to the video for a long time, and eventually decided to publish the video to apply pressure to his release.
“It’s not easy to see such a video. It’s never easy, because you see a person talking from the darkness of the tunnels,” Ben Yehuda said. “Once you realize this is from almost two years ago, it’s not easy to digest the situation.”
Just weeks before his return, 737 days after his abduction, while still alive. They had been in the states, with intention of returning to Israel as a deal progressed.
“I’ve been in constant contact with Pushpa. She’s a great person, and her family has been through a lot. Every time I go into war zones, she reminds me that she has two brothers across the border,”
Ben Yehuda recalled the impact on Nepalese citizens impacted by the October 7 massacre. “We have 10 Nepalese who got murdered, and multiple who were critically injured. Bipin is one of the few who is still alive out of the 48 total hostages,” he stated, unknowingly, adding that the families impacted, including Joshi’s, received full support from the embassy, Foreign Ministry, and other professionals in the psychological, operational, and military sides.
He emphasized that it was important for the family to feel they had some kind of control - even when pressured to release the footage, the embassy did not push them to do what they were not comfortable with. “In these situations, you have to give families the control. We are here to help, but they need to make these choices themselves,” he said.
“When I saw the video for the first time, it was emotional for me because I lost my own brother. Watching the video, I felt connected. It’s like a call from the past,” Ben Yehuda said. “It’s very emotional to see, and it drives us to do everything we can to bring the hostages back home to their families. The families of the hostages, the soldiers, and everyone are still deeply affected by October 7th. It’s part of our lives and inside our veins. Our condolences to all the families in Nepal, Israel, and around the world.”
Ben Yehuda added that he had been back and forth between Israel and Nepal several times, calling it a second home. He previously had visited to repatriate slain Nepalese nationals, and hoped that he would return with Bipin Joshi alive and well - though it did not end up being reality.
Israeli NGO Hotline for Refugees and Migrants responded to the confirmation of Joshi’s death, stating they were heartbroken by the identification of his body. Bipin arrived in Israel from Nepal with his friends to study agricultural sciences just 25 days before the massacre,” a spokesperson for the organization told the Post.
“On the morning of October 7, Bipin hid with his friends in a protected shelter in Kibbutz Alumim. When a grenade was thrown inside, Bipin leapt onto it and hurled it outside. A second grenade thrown into the shelter exploded. Instead of fleeing, Bipin tried to rescue some of the wounded, and was then abducted. Bipin survived several months in Hamas captivity before being murdered,” a statement said, adding that he was just 25 years old at the time of his death.
“Bipin was a man with a heart of gold, an amateur rapper, an exemplary brother and son. He came to Israel to study and work – but like the other hostages and victims, he was abandoned to his fate that Saturday,” the statement added, with the organization bowing their heads and sharing the grief of the Joshi family, who fought tirelessly for his release.
The organization continued that they would wait and fight for the release of all hostages and fallen, mentioning the remaining three foreign nationals murdered and held captive since October 7th - including Tanzanian agricultural student Joshua Loitu Mollel and Thai migrant workers Sontaya Akrasri and Suttisak Rintlak. “It is not over until everyone is home,” they emphasized.
Foreign Ministry Director-General Eden Bar Tal spoke with Nepalese Foreign Ministry Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai following the return of the body of Bipin Joshi, murdered in Hamas captivity, before his coffin will be repatriated back to Nepal.
Bar Tal expressed condolences over Joshi's murder at the hands of Hamas, and also informed his Nepalese counterpart that ceremonies are set to be held at the airport as he is transported to his home country for proper burial. A separate ceremony in the presence of the Israeli ambassador to Nepal is expected upon the coffin's arrival in Nepal.
Bar Tal emphasized that the State of Israel will continue to provide the same care and rights as a murdered Israeli citizen, according to a statement.