Nepal family holds out hope for son taken hostage by Hamas

Every morning, schoolteacher Mahananda Joshi walks for hours through his remote village in western Nepal to find a corner where his phone picks up a signal.

When he finds a connection, he scrolls through multiple international news portals, hoping for news about a cease-fire between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza.

So far, the headlines have not been optimistic. Joshi's 23-year-old son, Bipin Joshi, is believed to have been kidnapped from a kibbutz in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Joshi's only hope for his son is that a cease-fire will lead to a hostage release.

"I keep my mobile volume high even while I am teaching in class or trying to take nap during the night. I don't sleep. I fear missing a single call," he told DW.

His wife, Padma Joshi, tries to call him if any updates appear.

"The wait has been long. But what we have received so far are just false assurances," she lamented, complaining about how the Nepalese government has been unable to confirm whether her son is alive.

Internship of a lifetime

Bipin Joshi, from Kanchanpur district in the southwestern corner of Nepal, was studying agriculture at Sudurpaschim University. He went to Israel for an internship in September 2023, along with 48 fellow students.

The 11-month-long program, called "Learn and Earn," combined work on Israeli farms with classroom learning.

The Nepalese students were divided into groups and assigned to different farms around southern Israel. Some worked on mushroom or lemon farms, while others were involved in poultry or dairy farming.

Joshi regularly shared his experiences with his family back home via video calls. "He showed us the lemon farm where he worked and shared his vision of opening a farm upon his return," his mother recalled.

All of them were due to receive their first salary in the second week of October. On October 6, a few of them gathered virtually to discuss what they planned to buy with their first paycheck.

"Getting an iPhone had been our dream for a long time. Before going to bed, Bipin and I talked over the phone about buying it together," said Louish Rijal, a fellow student.

Around 7 a.m. on October 7, the interns woke up to a terrible sound, with the building shaking and smoke everywhere.

They exited the building, and Rijal said they heard the sound of gunfire.

"It seemed like firecrackers to us. I took a video and posted it online," Rijal told DW.

"Bipin called me and told me to remove the video. At first, I refused. When he mentioned that a few of our friends had been shot dead, I started shivering and regretted capturing it," he said.

The Nepalese students were on four different farms and they tried to reach out to one another. Rijal said no one was responding to his calls except Joshi.

At 11:50 a.m., Joshi messaged Rijal, pleading for help to get them out of there. "That was the last text from him," said Rijal.

A few hours later, there was an update that 10 Nepalese students in Kibbutz Alumim has been killed in the terror attacks. Four were injured and taken to the hospital, and one was kidnapped by Hamas.

The missing person was Joshi, as witnessed by his friends. His phone was later traced to Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Other than being spotted in video footage weeks after his capture, Joshi's condition is unknown.

Nepal asks for help 

It has been nearly 10 months since the October 7 terror attacks. Securing Joshi's release has been raised numerous times in Nepal's parliament and in international forums.

When Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Nepal in April, the Nepalese government made an official request for Joshi's release, as Qatar has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

Despite the uncertainty, Joshi's family believes that he will return home soon.

"With the current political turmoil, we are uncertain how this instability might be affecting diplomatic efforts for his release," his father said.

Nepal's government said it has taken action to secure Joshi's release.

"Since we don't have direct contact with Hamas, we are seeking help from third parties, especially from countries like Qatar, which maintains good relations with the militant group," Amrit Bahadur Rai, a spokesperson for Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry, told DW.

Hamas is designated as a terror organization by the United States, Germany, Israel and several other countries.

Rai mentioned receiving some positive responses from international actors but added, "we haven't received a concrete answer from anywhere yet."

Family still waiting

After the terror attacks, Nepal's government halted the "Learn and Earn" program.

Kumar Bahadur Shrestha, spokesperson and deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Nepal in Israel, told DW that the embassy speaks regularly with Israeli diplomats to confirm Joshi's well-being and ensure the safety of Nepalese living in Israel.

According to the embassy, nearly 5,000 Nepalese are living in Israel, most of them working as caregivers.

Despite the well-meaning efforts of Nepal's government, Joshi's family is still desperately waiting for all of the "reassuring words" to turn into action.

His father occasionally comes down to the city of Bajhang from the family's Kanchanpur village to follow up on the progress of efforts by the government and other agencies. Joshi's mother checks every new face that turns up near the house, hoping it might be their son. His 82-year-old grandmother is distressed daily by the fear that she will pass away without seeing her grandson's face again.

Joshi's 17-year-old sister returns from school every day hoping there's good news about her brother, who will come back soon and help her with homework.

"The only thing keeping us alive is the hope of returning our son. We must stay strong and spread our words louder so that our son might hear us from some corner of the world," said Mahananda Joshi.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn