Family Confirms Nepali Hostage Bipin Joshi to Be Released Wednesday Evening

The family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali national abducted by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, confirmed Wednesday that a video showing proof of his life will be released later in the evening. The footage, reportedly obtained by Israeli intelligence units, marks the first concrete confirmation in months that Joshi is still alive in Gaza.

“This proof of life found in Gaza, which we are sharing with you today, gives us unwavering faith that he is alive," the Joshi family said in a public statement released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.

Joshi had arrived in Israel just three weeks prior to the massacre, participating in an agricultural education program at Kibbutz Alumim, a community close to the Gaza border that was attacked during Hamas's coordinated assault. Several other Nepali nationals lived there alongside him.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Joshi displayed extraordinary bravery during the attack. As two grenades were hurled into the windowless shelter where he and others hid, he grabbed one and threw it back, saving lives. The second exploded, severely injuring five of his fellow Nepali friends. His heroism became known to Israeli officials and media, but until now, his fate had remained uncertain.

It is believed that Joshi was initially held at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, where limited video footage previously showed him alive. No updates followed for months, deepening the agony for his family, who live in Bispuri Mahendranagar, a remote village near Nepal’s border with India.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump referenced Joshi during a speech expressing concern for foreign nationals held in Gaza. At the time, the Nepali Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed they had not been notified of any developments in Joshi’s case prior to the president’s remarks.

Joshi had joined the Israeli workforce under a government-to-government agreement aimed at developing agricultural skills among Nepali youth. Israel has long been a preferred destination for Nepali caregivers and workers, offering fair wages, stable employment, and cultural openness to foreign labor.

His abduction and continued captivity have struck a nerve both in Israel and Nepal, where Joshi is regarded as a symbol of youthful promise and courage. His story exemplifies not just the cruelty of Hamas’s actions but also the human cost paid by foreign nationals caught in the terror of October 7.

As the video is expected to be released to the public, the Joshi family and the people of Nepal cling to renewed hope that he and the 47 other hostages still in Gaza will soon come home.

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