Bipin Joshi’s teen sister hopes video from captivity will pressure sides into signing deal

By Jessica Steinberg

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

8 October 2025, 8:54 pm

Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Pushpa Joshi, 17, sister of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, speaks to reporters in Israel from North Carolina, where she and her family are advocating for her brother's release. (Screenshot)

Pushpa Joshi, the sister of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, speaks to reporters in Israel about the family’s decision to release a video of her brother that they received nearly a year ago.

“We decided to release it to show that he is in Gaza and alive, and maybe it can create a little bit of pressure on the negotiating teams to understand our feelings, our pain,” says Joshi. “It’s two years, it’s too much pain for us and the hostages and the other hostages’ families.”

Joshi was abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Alumim, where he was studying farming. He was part of a group of Nepali students who had arrived in Israel only three weeks earlier as part of an academic program to care for orange and lemon orchards.

“When I saw the video, my mom was next to me and my father, and first I thanked God that I didn’t see any injuries on his face or his body and then my body was shaking and I couldn’t control my tears,” says Joshi, who is 17.

The video appears to have been filmed in November 2023, a few weeks after Joshi was taken captive. There have been no further signs of life or any new information about Joshi’s whereabouts since the video was released, says Joshi’s sister.

The family is currently staying with relatives in North Carolina, as part of an extended visit to the US, where they are advocating for their son and brother in Washington, DC, and at the United Nations. Their goal is to get to the White House, says an Israeli spokesperson for the family.

“We are here with hopeful hearts and we want to meet President Donald Trump and advocate for Bipin’s safe release,” says Joshi. “President Trump gave an ultimatum to Hamas and Israel to negotiate, so we’re very thankful for this. Thank you, Mr. President. We are totally dependent on you and really hope that your steps will give us our Bipin back.”