Israel bids farewell to Nepali student abducted, killed by Hamas

Jerusalem, Oct 19 (PTI) Israel on Sunday bid farewell to a Nepali student, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and later killed in captivity, the Israeli foreign ministry said.  The body of Bipin Joshi, 23, will be flown to Nepal after the farewell ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport, the ministry added. Joshi’s body was returned by Hamas last Tuesday, and his identity was established through forensic testing.

The ceremony took place at the 8th Armoured Brigade Memorial, where officials, soldiers and members of the public bowed their heads in grief.  Joshi, an agricultural student, came to Israel as part of an international agricultural training programme under Mashav, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation that works under the Foreign Ministry.

He was taken hostage by Hamas from a bomb shelter in Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, where his heroic action in blocking a live grenade despite being wounded is said to have saved several lives.  Eynat Shlain, deputy director-general at the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the head of Mashav, attended the ceremony.

Joshi's mother and sister had recently visited Israel to advocate for his release. His fate was unknown during their visit. PTI HM RD RD RD