The sister of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi said Wednesday that her family has endured “too much” waiting for his return, appealing to Israel, other governments and the public not to forget him.
Pushpa Joshi, 17, and her mother, Padma, arrived in Israel this week for the first time since Joshi was abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Alumim during the Oct. 7 attack.
Family of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi arrives in Israel for first time
(Video: Lior Sharon)
In an interview with Ynetnews, Pushpa described the nearly two years of uncertainty as “too long and too hard” for her family. “We tried a lot in our country to bring him back,” she said, recounting meetings with Nepal’s prime minister, home minister and foreign minister. “We didn’t get good results. We don’t know if he’s alive or not. In my heart, every time it tells me my brother is alive and one day he will be back.”
She said the visit to Israel is filled with “mixed feelings” but driven by hope. “My message to the government and to the Israeli people is: please, he is an international cultural student. Do not forget him. Do whatever you can for his safe release,” she said. “He has no relation to the war. He was born in another country and has no experience of this conflict.”
Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old agriculture student, came to Israel as part of an academic program. Friends say that on Oct. 7, he caught a grenade thrown into a shelter and hurled it back, saving others before being taken away by Hamas terrorists. Israeli officials have said they have serious concerns for his life. During the October 7 massacre, 10 other Nepali students were killed in the Gaza border communities. Another foreign student, Joshua Luito Mollel from Tanzania, was later confirmed to have been murdered, with his body taken to Gaza.
Pushpa also delivered a direct message to her brother: “If you are listening to my voice, your sister is always with you. We came here to raise our voice for you. Please don’t lose your hope. We are fighting for you, and our prayers are with you. You are brave, and I know you can handle this situation. Me and our mother are here for you. Don’t worry — I am with you.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The last confirmed footage of Joshi was from months ago, filmed in Hamas tunnels. Pushpa confirmed the family has received no verified updates since then. “We don’t know the fixed news till now,” she said.
During their stay, Pushpa and her mother will visit the kibbutz where Joshi lived, meet his friends and receive intelligence updates from Israeli officials.