A farewell ceremony was held at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday, to pay tributes to Bipin Joshi, the Nepali student abducted and killed by Hamas militants group, before his body was flown to Nepal for final rites.
“A ceremony was held, today (October 19), at Ben Gurion Airport, in Israel to honour Bipin Joshi, who was abducted and later murdered in Hamas captivity, before he is sent back home to Nepal” states Israel in Nepal in its social media site.
“May his memory be a blessing,” it added.
Earlier, until recently it was believed that Bipin was alive and kept under Hamas captivity. However, after the Hamas militants disclosed the names of 20 hostages who are alive, Bipin’s name was not included.
Hamas launched a terrorist attack in Israel on October 2023 and killed 10 Nepalese students who were residing there under learn and earn scheme. Bipin, 23 years of age at that time, was abducted by the the militants and his condition were unknown for around two years. It was only recently that Hamas confirmed the death of Bipin and handed over his body to Israel government during a cease fire.
At the farewell ceremony Israeli officials, Nepali diplomats, and members of the Nepali community paid their last respects, according to Foreign Ministry. The ceremony, organized jointly by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy, marked the final step before Joshi’s remains were sent home.
Bipin’s body arrived in Kathmandu on Monday afternoon and then taken to his hometown in Kanchanpur on the same day for cremation, the Foreign Ministry said.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki also paid tribute to Bipin as soon as his body landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
