With the ceasefire agreement between the warring Israel and Hamas, the 'countdown' has begun for the release of student Bipin Joshi, who was held by Hamas following the attack on October 7, 2023.
As soon as the ceasefire agreement was reached between the two sides, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, one of the mediators, said that the ceasefire agreement will come into effect from Sunday (January 19).
The first phase of the ceasefire will last for six weeks and Hamas will initially release 33 hostages. Therefore, the possibility of Bipin's release in the next few weeks is slim.
According to experts, after that, there is a possibility of receiving clear information about Bipin's status and his release.
Three evidence that Bipin is alive
Bipin, who reached Israel under a 'Learn and Earn Program', was captured by Hamas during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 The belief that he is still alive is based on the claims of three official bodies.
The three bodies are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Israeli Embassy in Nepal, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), i.e. the Israeli Army.
As far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned, Foreign Minister Dr. Rana, on behalf of the ministry, claimed that Joshi was alive in the meeting of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives on Monday (January 13).
"Bipin Bhai is safe," she said in the meeting, "Therefore, I am confident that he will return."
Another body, the Israeli Army, had also claimed to have received information that Bipin was alive a year ago. A month after Bipin was kidnapped, on November 22, 2023, the Israeli Army released a video footage in which the Israeli army claimed that Joshi was one of the young men captured by Hamas.
In the video footage from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Bipin, who is being held by Hamas, is seen wearing a T-shirt, shorts and slippers. Hamas fighters are seen moving him from one place to another.
This happened a year ago. Two months ago, Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Shmulik Arie Bass, had said that he had received information that Bipin was alive.
“We have received information from Arab sources that Bipin Joshi is alive,” Ambassador Bass, who had just arrived in Kathmandu to take charge, had said in the third week of the Nepali month Mangsir, “He will return to Nepal soon.”
A missed opportunity
On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel and killed more than 1,200 people, including 10 Nepali students who had reached Israel under a ‘Learn and Earn Program.'
During the attack, Hamas captured 251 Israelis and citizens of other countries, including Nepali student Bipin Joshi. Some of the foreign and Israeli prisoners were released by Hamas last year.
In particular, they were released during the first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. That ceasefire took place from November 24-28, 2023. Two American prisoners were released before the five-day ceasefire.
During the five-day ceasefire, 50 Israeli prisoners were released, and in return, Israel released 150 Palestinian prisoners.
In addition to the Israeli prisoners, 14 Thai and one Filipino prisoners held by Hamas were also released in the same process.
The reason for the release of the American prisoners was the US initiative for the five-day ceasefire. The reason for the release of the citizens of Thailand and the Philippines was the strong diplomacy of these two countries.
Based on the information that the ceasefire was taking place, Thailand and the Philippines had established contact with Qatar, which made the release of their prisoners possible.
Nepal missed the opportunity to release Bipin as it did not receive timely information about the ceasefire. Learning from that incident, Nepal has been continuously urging Qatar to release Bipin as soon as the possibility of a ceasefire appeared.
For example, during the visit of Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on April 23-24, 2024, Nepal urged Qatari officials to take the initiative for Bipin's release. On other occasions, Nepal has also been urging Qatari officials to take the initiative for Bipin's release.
Initiatives before the second ceasefire
Egyptian Ambassador to Nepal Noha Hamdy Ahmed ElGebaly met with Foreign Minister Dr. Rana at the Ministry last Friday (January 10). Ambassador ElGebaly had reached the Ministry for the meeting at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dr. Rana.
"During that time, discussions were held on bilateral issues," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had informed about the meeting through the social network X (Twitter), "However, the main topic of the conversation was focused on the release of Bipin Joshi, who is in Hamas’s custody."
Preparations for the second ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had begun two weeks ago. It had also been made public that Qatar and Egypt were acting as mediators for the ceasefire.
In the meantime, Foreign Minister Dr. Rana has expected Egyptian Ambassador ElGebaly to help with Bipin’s release.
Two days before Egyptian Ambassador ElGebaly (January 8), Dr. Rana had also requested Israeli Ambassador Shmulik Arie Bass to discuss this issue and assist in the release.
Two days before the meeting with Ambassador Bass (January 6), Hamas had made the names of 34 Israeli prisoners public. With the publication of their names, hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had increased.
Foreign Minister Dr. Rana then requested Israeli Ambassador Bass to prioritize the release of Nepali student Bipin Joshi.
Foreign Minister Dr. Rana also spoke on the phone with Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, another major country that played the role of mediator, on January 14.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since Qatar played a decisive role in the phone call, Minister Dr. Rana had requested that Bipin's name be included in the list of those to be released.
In addition to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, who is playing the role of mediator, she also spoke on the phone with her Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar. During the phone call on January 14, Dr. Rana requested maximum support and cooperation for Bipin's release.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the telephone conversation, Israeli Foreign Minister Saar informed that efforts are underway to release Bipin and assured that efforts will be made for his release in the coming days.
When will Bipin Joshi be released?
The full details of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt, have not been made public. However, the ceasefire will be implemented in three phases.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will release 33 hostages. They include children, women and the elderly.
Since it will take three weeks, i.e. until February 2, to release the 33 Israeli prisoners whose names have been made public, it is not very practical to expect Bipin's release during this period.
It is estimated that the status of the remaining hostages will be known only after the hostages start being released.
“Hamas’ information system and leadership have been destroyed since the Israeli attack on Gaza. They (Hamas) do not use electronic devices for information, because Israel can obtain their information when they use electronic devices,” the Nepali ambassador to one of the mediator countries told Nepalkhabar. “Therefore, Hamas itself is not aware of the status of some prisoners. In this situation, it may take Hamas a few days to provide information about the whereabouts and condition of prisoners including Bipin.”
According to the ambassador, although Hamas is the main group in the conflict with Israel, there are other Palestinian groups that have some of the prisoners captured in the October 7 attack. That is why the task of finding out the status of the prisoners seems very complicated.
"The work of informing all parties concerned about Bipin has been completed, the matter has reached the point where it needs to be," the ambassador added. "Since Hamas itself is in a state of turmoil at the moment, it may take some time for them to find out Bipin's status."
Therefore, he says, there is no other option but to wait for concrete information about Bipin's status and be patient for his release for about the next three weeks.
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