‘I love you more than my life’: sister of Nepali hostage makes heartbreaking plea for his release

As grenades were going off and the kibbutz was being peppered with bullets, Bipin, who became the only Nepalese national to be taken hostage, texted his cousin right before being abducted by terrorists: “Stay faithful. Look to the future, take care of my family,” he wrote.

[Missing Credit]Hamas terrorist captured on CCTV footage entering Kibbutz Alumim on the morning of October 7

In writing that, he “displayed amazing foresight to understand the situation he was in just three weeks after arriving”, Adi said.

Bipin was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, and the CCTV footage of his arrival there which surfaced online a month later, is still, more than 660 days later, the only sign of life his family has received. No former hostages have reported seeing Joshi during their captivity.

Adi, who describes the day of October 7 as a “surreal horror movie you could not turn off”, felt a strong desire to do what she could for the hostages, and was doing graphic design work for the Hostage and Missing Families Forum when she came across Bipin’s story.

“Some hostages have become famous; you see their faces all the time in Israel and have large campaigns surrounding them. When I looked into Bipin, I realised he was completely voiceless in Israel, and that I had a chance to really help someone in need. So, I reached out to the family,” she said.

[Missing Credit]Adi Radai

She was able to establish contact with Bipin’s “enormously inspiring” English-speaking sister, Pushpa, who was happy to hear directly from an Israeli and the pair clicked immediately.

“I’ve been trying to make sure the family understands the situation and has access to all updates and communications that the Israeli families receive,” Adi said. “They don’t understand the conflict at all, so they’ve been very grateful to have someone who is able to bridge the cultural and language gaps and is familiar with Israeli history and outlooks.”

[Missing Credit]The Joshi family: Father Mahanand, daughter Pushpa, mother Padma, and Bipin (Credit: courtesy)

The last 21 months has been “unbelievably” difficult on Bipin’s parents, father Mahanand, 52, and mother Padma, 47, who on top of their overwhelming grief at the sudden disappearance of their son, have been thrust into the global spotlight.

Living in a small rural village in the country’s far south-west mountainous countryside, they do not speak English, do not own passports and have never left Nepal. Even travelling to the capital, Kathmandu, to meet with Nepali government officials requires them to take flights, which is a huge financial burden.

“There are no hostage vigils in Nepal,” Adi said, “they feel alone, and they are in deep pain. It’s become very hard for them to function on a daily basis.”

Bipin’s parents, who are both teachers in the local school, have leaned heavily on their belief in God to help them through this dark time.

They have quickly had to learn “how to interact with the press, how to talk to foreign people and overcome significant cultural differences, and about Israel and the conflict.”

And all the while the pair’s tremendous grief is matched only by a feeling of helplessness as they wait for news of their son as the days, weeks and months tick by.

[Missing Credit]Bipin Joshi ahead of his agricultural exchange programme in Israel (Credit: courtesy)

“It’s so much for them to take on. They have never experienced war before and, unlike us Israelis, don’t know what existential fear is,” said Adi, who was recently in London as part of a delegation of mothers and sisters of hostages.

Adi is now in the process of helping Bipin’s parents apply for passports and visa applications to America, where the hope is they can visit the United Nations and speak directly with policymakers in New York City and Washington DC.

“They are so scared to leave Nepal,” Adi said, “but they are encouraged by the thought that I will try to be there with them, and particularly by the fearlessness of their daughter’s campaigning.”

Pushpa, who was just 16 at the time of her brother’s kidnapping and turned 18 on July 29, has been parachuted into global politics. She has met Nepal’s prime minister, president and foreign minister on several occasions to plead for the safe return of her older brother, her “best friend”.

Bipin Joshi with sister Pushpa (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

Regularly making the long journey between her family home in Kanchanpur district and the capital, she has persuaded her government engage with Qatar and Egypt over the hostage negotiations.

“She’s a very, very kind and gentle soul who is always trying to make her mum laugh,” Adi said of Pushpa. “She tries so hard to be happy and to not be devastated, but the burden is so very heavy on her.”

Even by Nepali standards, where siblings are generally very close, Pushpa and Bipin’s relationship is unique and the pair share a “very deep bond”, Adi said. “She misses him constantly. She sometimes uploads stories [to social media] of her just expressing her pain and how much she misses him or reminiscing the things they used to do together.”

[Missing Credit]Bipin Joshi with sister Pushpa (Credit: courtesy)

 

On Bhai Tika, the fifth and final day of Tihar, the Nepalese festival of lights, brothers and sisters across the country exchange gifts with each other to express their affection and close relationship. Traditionally, sisters mark the forehead of their brothers with a tika and lay a special garland of flowers on their shoulders.

Pushpa has now spent Bhai Tika twice without her brother, whom she calls “dada”, a term of deep affection between siblings.

In November 2023, she planted flowers in her garden and created a garland for Bipin to wear upon his return, as she did last year and will again this year, hoping for the best, but each time there has so far been no news of her brother and the garlands have “withered away”.

Speaking to the JC, Pushpa, who just finished her high school exams a few weeks ago, said above all she misses “dancing, singing, and discussing life and our futures” with her brother, who was “caught in a war that was not his”.

She said: “My brother is innocent. I request peoples of every nation to please do whatever you can for his safe release. It’s too much for us. It’s too much for him.”

[Missing Credit]Bipin Joshi

If after more than 660 days Pushpa was given the chance to convey a message to her brother, she would say: “My brother, you are brave. I believe you will be released soon, and you will come back to us.

“Please don’t lose hope, dada. Your sister, your family, is waiting for your safe release. Please don’t think you are alone. Your sister is always with you, dada. We are doing what we can. Be hopeful, dada, soon everything will be okay. I love you more than my life. Till my last breath, I will do everything for you to be home again, dada.”