The family of Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old Nepali student kidnapped to Gaza during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, released a video on Wednesday showing him alive in captivity — the first visual proof of life since his abduction nearly two years ago.
The footage, obtained by Israeli intelligence and shared with the family in recent months, is believed to have been recorded about a month after Joshi was taken. In it, Joshi introduces himself and explains he arrived in Israel to study and work in agriculture. “My name is Bipin Joshi and I’m from Nepal,” he says. “I came to Israel 25 days ago. I came here for the ‘Learn and Earn’ program. I am a student. I work on an agricultural farm, in citrus and lemon farm.”
Footage of hostage Bipin Joshi in Hamas captivity
(Video: IDF)
Until now, the last known evidence of Joshi was a security video from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital on the day of the massacre, showing him being led by Hamas gunmen alongside a Thai national who was also abducted.
“It was very difficult to watch the video,” his sister Pushpa told Ynet. “I watched it with our mother and father — we all cried. I thanked God his face wasn’t injured. I prayed he’s healthy and that I’ll be able to hug him again.”
She added: “I don’t know who’s holding him now. I’ve heard he’s with other Thai hostages. I don’t know his condition. He’s not on the list of the living or the dead. But we are full of hope. I’m so worried for his life — I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. It’s hard to even speak about this with my parents.”
Pushpa said the video gave her renewed strength. “I hope he’s rescued. I hope he’s alive, and I’ll see him very soon. I pray every day. I don’t even consider the possibility he won’t come back alive.”
In the video, she noted, Joshi looked like himself but appeared visibly frightened. “I could see it in his expressions — I think he was thinking about our family when they filmed him,” she said. “My mother prays for his return. My father, still in Nepal, is devastated and prays constantly. We’re one of the hostage families. We’re waiting desperately. I truly ask: Let this deal go through. Bring them all home.”
In a statement, the family said: “On the second anniversary of the horrific massacre that brought thousands of families into mourning and froze time for ours and all hostage families, we’ve chosen to share this proof of life — our beloved Bipin, who was brutally abducted from Kibbutz Alumim while ten of his friends were murdered that day. Young, innocent students. For two years, the world couldn’t imagine Bipin trapped in Gaza’s tunnels. No more. This video is our anchor of faith that he is alive.”
The family added that the video had been kept under censorship for months and was only recently cleared for public release. “It’s not easy for us to share it, but we’re in critical, historic days. Days that will determine whether the living hostages return to their families and the dead receive a proper burialת or whether we remain mired in grief. The 48 hostages must come home. We urge all involved officials: Do not give up. Bring them home.”
Joshi was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim on October 7. According to reports, he heroically grabbed a grenade thrown by Hamas attackers during the assault and threw it away, saving lives before being captured.
Joshi and another hostage taken into Gaza City's Shifa Hospital
(Video: IDF)
About two months ago, his mother Padma and sister Pushpa arrived in Israel — three months after the family was informed of grave concern for his life. Upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport, Padma broke down in tears and pleaded: “Please save my son. Hamas, bring him home now.”
Pushpa added at the time: “Thank you to the people of Israel and the government for bringing us here. Thank you for your support and prayers. I have only one wish — that my brother returns as soon as possible. He came to Israel to study, as part of an academic program, and tragically got caught in a war that has nothing to do with him. It’s been almost two years. We constantly wonder — what’s happening to him? Is he getting food or medicine?”
A few days later, Pushpa spoke at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv: “It took us 22 months to find the strength to come here. We were isolated in Nepal. The recent hostage videos broke us. My parents are shattered. They miss their only son. I miss my best friend — the one who dreams of growing bananas and making banana chips.”
She ended her speech with a message in Nepali to her brother: “I miss you so much. Don’t lose hope. Be strong. I love you.”