Padma and Pushpa, the mother and younger sister of Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who was taken hostage by the Palestinian rebel Hamas from Israel, are preparing to travel to Israel this coming Monday.
The Israeli government is facilitating the travel of Padma and Pushpa to increase international community's pressure for his release.
According to Bipin’s elder brother Kishor, their mother and sister will fly to Israel on Monday. “The embassy has arranged their travel. The ticket has been booked for Monday,” he said.
Bipin’s mother Padma and younger sister Pushpa are currently in Kathmandu. They had arrived in Kathmandu a few days ago to this end.
Bipin, who went to Israel under the ‘Learn and Earn’ program, has been out of contact with his family since Saturday, October 7, 2023. Shortly after the war began, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released a video showing Bipin in captivity, being transferred by Hamas militants.
Since then, there has been no further information about Bipin.
Under the ‘Learn and Earn’ program, 49 students from Tikapur Agriculture Campus, affiliated with Sudurpaschim University, had gone to Israel in the last week of Bhadra 2080 BS.
Ten Nepali students were killed in the Hamas attack in Israel. Bipin, who tried to save fellow Nepali students by throwing back a grenade hurled by Hamas, was instead taken hostage by the militants.
To secure Bipin’s release, his family members have met with high-ranking officials, including the President and the Prime Minister, multiple times. Although the government claims that diplomatic efforts are underway, no tangible progress has been made so far.
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