KATHMANDU: The mother and sister of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali national abducted by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, are set to travel to Israel as part of efforts to press for his release.
Bipin was abducted on October 7, 2023, from a kibbutz in southern Israel during Hamas’ large-scale attack. His mother, Padma, and sister, Pushpa, will be taken to Israel by the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu next Monday, according to Bipin’s cousin, Kishor Joshi.
“The embassy has booked tickets for Monday. My aunt and cousin will be going to Israel. They were called 10–15 days ago, and all the documents have been prepared,” Kishor told Khabarhub over the phone.
Israel is also planning to take Padma and Pushpa to the United Nations to appeal for international pressure on Hamas to release Bipin.
According to Kantipur, citing Sagi Karni, head of the Middle East and Asia Division at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the plan includes urging the UN for action and arranging a meeting with the U.S. President.
Bipin had traveled to Israel under the “Learn and Earn” agricultural training program. During the October 7 Hamas attack, ten Nepali students were killed alongside him, while a total of 1,200 people lost their lives in the assault.
Hamas took 251 hostages during the attack, including Bipin. Following the incident, then-Foreign Minister N.P. Saud traveled to Tel Aviv to oversee the repatriation of Nepali citizens stranded in Israel.
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