Kathmandu: Hopes for the safe return of Nepali student Bipin Joshi from Kanchanpur — who had been held by the Palestinian group Hamas for nearly two years — have ended in heartbreak. The Nepali Embassy in Israel has confirmed that Israeli authorities have verified Joshi is no longer alive.

According to a statement from the embassy, Israeli officials directly informed them of Joshi’s death. Joshi was among the Nepali students abducted by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, during the large-scale attack that triggered the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict.

Former Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Hanan Godar also confirmed the tragic news through social media, writing:

“Bipin Joshi is no longer with us. The two-year hope is now over.”

Several Israeli media outlets have likewise reported Joshi’s death, bringing a painful end to months of uncertainty for his family and friends in Nepal.

Joshi had traveled to Israel in 2023 under the ‘Learn and Earn’ agricultural training program, which sends Nepali students to gain hands-on experience in modern farming practices.

With this confirmation, Nepal mourns the loss of a young life caught in one of the world’s most protracted and devastating conflicts.