Six days after his body was returned to Israel as part of the latest hostage deal, a farewell ceremony was held Sunday for Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old Nepali agriculture student who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and murdered while held captive in Gaza.
The ceremony took place at Ben-Gurion Airport before Joshi’s coffin was flown to Nepal for burial. Dozens attended to pay their respects, but no government ministers or Knesset members were present.
Farewell ceremony to Bipin Joshi
(Video: Roi Rubenstein)
Joshi arrived in Israel just weeks before the Hamas attack to study agriculture at Kibbutz Alumim. Born and raised in a village at the foot of the Himalayas, he hoped to return to Nepal with new skills to improve farming in his home country. Friends said he quickly grew attached to Israel, often sending videos of his kibbutz life to his family, and dreamed of becoming a rapper and soccer player.
During the Oct. 7 assault, Joshi fled with other foreign students to a shelter. Witnesses said he tried to protect his friends, pushing away a live grenade with his bare hands and saving lives before being captured by the terrorists.
His friend Sujata said at the ceremony, “We love Israel and everything will be okay. God will protect us. Your people are like ours. If we can live in Israel as our second homeland, we can also die for Israel.” Another friend, Neha Gurung, added, “There was no need to kidnap these people. We pray for everyone. We stand with Israel and are proud of Israel.”
Joshi’s coffin was draped in the flags of Nepal and Israel. One of his friends broke down in tears as the ceremony began.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, said in his eulogy, “It should not have ended this way. Bipin was a young man full of dreams who came to Israel, and we are sending him home after the horrific events of Oct. 7. He was held for two years, and we are so sorry for this outcome. Bipin was not only an excellent student but a hero. He fought and saved lives. He survived, but was murdered in captivity by Hamas terrorists. We will never forgive or forget.”
Hirsch said every Israeli knows Joshi’s name and story and lit a memorial candle in his honor. He thanked the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and the people of Nepal, adding, “The mission is not over — we still have hostages in Gaza.”
Kumar Bahadur Shashtha, representing Nepal’s embassy in Israel, called Joshi “a great hero from Nepal.” He said, “Sadly, he was kidnapped by Hamas, and after two years we saw him returned as a body. We tried together with Israel to save him, but could not. Bipin will always be remembered by Nepalis and Israelis.”
Einat Shlain, head of MASHAV, Israel’s international development agency, also spoke. “Bipin was a brave student who came to Israel for a better future,” she said. “On that terrible morning, he tried to protect others, but Hamas murderers had no mercy. His mother, Padma, prayed for a miracle, but he was murdered. His family suffered like so many others.”
Nadav Ben Yehuda, Israel’s consul in Nepal, whose brother was killed defending southern Israel on Oct. 7, recalled receiving video calls from Joshi that morning. “We saw the pain, heard the gunfire, and did everything we could before being called to fight,” he said. “I told the Nepalis I’d come back to Nepal only when I returned with Bipin.”
The ceremony ended with the laying of wreaths, followed by the Nepali national anthem and Hatikva, Israel’s national anthem. Friends continued to place flowers and pray beside the coffin.
Joshi’s body was flown to Nepal, where his parents, Mahananda and Padma, and his 18-year-old sister Pushpa awaited him.