Body of slain Nepali hostage held in Gaza returns home after release by Hamas

The body of a Nepali student who was among the hostages being held in Gaza arrived in Kathmandu on Monday after being repatriated, authorities said.

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The body of a Nepali student who was among the hostages being held in Gaza arrived in Kathmandu on Monday after being repatriated, authorities said.

The remains of Bipin Joshi were flown from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said Joshi’s body would be taken to his hometown of Bhimdattanagar later Monday evening.

“The Nepal government made various attempts at different levels, to the extent possible, for Joshi’s release while he was in captivity,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire violations01:38Joshi was among 17 Nepali students studying agriculture in southern Israel when Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war in Gaza. He had arrived in Israel a month earlier on a student exchange program to work and study at Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza border.

The Hamas attack left 10 Nepali students dead and injured six others before Joshi, then 22, was kidnapped.