The family of the late Bipin Joshi, the Nepalese citizen who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during the October 7th massacre and murdered in captivity, issued an emotional farewell message after his body was returned to Israel.
About a week ago, a video was released showing a sign of life from Joshi, filmed in the Hamas tunnels about a month after the terror attack. In the footage, Joshi appeared speaking to the camera and in good condition. The family said that the video gave them hope for his safe return.
“A week ago, we released the sign of life of our beloved son, Bipin,” the family said. “We clung to the video with faith and hope that we would once again see our beautiful child smiling and returning home.”
They continued, “It was with immense pain that we received the news of the worst of all. Our dear son, Bipin, was murdered in Hamas captivity. The ground was pulled from beneath our feet. Bipin said goodbye to us with great excitement before leaving for a year-long educational experience in Israel. We never imagined that that hug would be our last.”
The family members added, “Today we can say it out loud: Bipin, you are a hero! The grenade you deflected before being brutally taken hostage saved the lives of your friends. We were so afraid that they would discover you were a hero, that they would harm you, and we prayed that you would survive. Before you were taken hostage, you managed to send a message to your cousin, asking him to be strong and always look to the future. It is hard to imagine the future without you, Bipin. Every flower in the garden we planted for you will remind us of you - every orchard, every field. You are part of the landscape of Nepal, and now also part of the landscape of the Land of Israel.”
At the end of their statement, the family expressed their gratitude to US President Donald Trump, the governments of Israel and Nepal, and to all those who assisted in the return of their son’s body and helped bring closure to their painful journey.
The family concluded their remarks with these words: “Bipin, it pains us that you will not know that we fought for you - that the people of Israel and Nepal fought for you, that IDF soldiers fought for you. We fought with all our strength in the hope that one day we would return home together. Soon you will return home to eternal rest, and we will continue to fight - this time for sanity, for the strength to rise each morning, and for the future, just as you asked.”