KATHMANDU, Dec 5: The newly-appointed Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Shmulik Arie Bass has confirmed that Bipin Joshi, a Nepali national abducted by the Hamas militants following the mass massacre of unarmed Israeli and foreign civilians on October 7 last year in Israel, is still alive.
Addressing a meeting with journalists in the capital on Thursday, Ambassador Bass said that Arab sources have conveyed to them the message that abducted Joshi is among those alive.
“Arab sources have told us that Bipin Joshi is alive. However, we do not know where he is being held and in what condition he is being held now,” he said. “We hope that he will be back to Nepal soon. We hope he will be one of the several abductees to be released.”
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Ambassador Bass said that over 100 abducted Israeli and foreign nationals are still in the captivity of the Hamas militants. “I can understand how his family and others must be feeling about Joshi. We need to understand that there are many others like Bipin,” he further said.
A total of 10 Nepali students, who were in Israel as a part of the Earn and Learn program in Israel were brutally murdered by the Hamas militants as they targeted everyone attending the Nova Music festival and those living in the surrounding areas on October 7, 2023. An 11th student, Joshi was abducted by them.
Ambassador Bass said the Israeli government is providing financial support to the family of each of these students just as they provide to the family members of the Israeli nationals murdered there. The envoy also expressed hope that students from Nepal would resume going to Israel as a part of the Learn and Earn scheme soon.
Nepal has stopped sending agriculture students to Israel to become part of the scheme in view of the ongoing war situation in Israel as it fights against Hamas and Hezbollah. While stating that students from Malawi, Congo and Thailand have already started going back to Israel under the same program, the envoy said, “Israeli farm owners want Nepali students to go back to Israel where they can learn and earn. We hope to see this resume soon.”
