For nearly 16 months, Mahanand Joshi has been desperately seeking answers to a question that has consumed his family: “Where is Bipin Joshi?”
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His son Bipin’s whereabouts have been unknown since the 23-year-old was abducted in Israel after the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Bipin was among the foreigners and Israelis kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group but a recent ceasefire and release of several hostages have made Mahanand, 51, hopeful of his son’s return.
“We want good news now,” Mahanand told This Week in Asia from Kathmandu, where he had travelled from southwestern Nepal’s Kanchanpur district to appeal to the government to secure Bipin’s release. “Hostages from other countries are being freed. We want Bipin to come home as soon as possible.”
The Joshi family has been following the news closely. The release by Hamas of eight hostages, including five Thai nationals and three Israelis, from their captive location in Gaza on January 30 has fuelled hopes that Bipin would be freed in the next round. About 33 hostages, including women, children, men, and the sick were set to be released in the first round of the Gaza ceasefire deal, which went into effect January 19, in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Negotiations on the agreement’s second phase are set to begin on Monday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington. Their discussions will include ending the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, and releasing 60 or so remaining hostages.
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Bipin and his friends from Nepal arrived in southern Israel’s Kibbutz Alumim just three weeks before the October 7 attack under the country’s “Learn and Earn” 11-month programme, which allows participants to take college classes for a day while spending five days on the farms to gain practical experience.