Bipin Joshi threw back a grenade from Hamas attackers before being taken hostage in the assault on Israel two years ago, says the fellow Nepalese student he saved.
I may not have survived if both grenades had exploded. Bipin showed courage and threw the grenade out, Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary told BBC Nepali.
He was speaking after the Israeli military identified his friend's body as being among four dead hostages returned by Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire accord.
Bipin was 23 and working on a kibbutz when he was taken by Hamas into captivity along with 250 others on 7 October 2023. It's unclear how or when he died.
His family and friends hoped right up to the release deadline that he might be among living hostages returned on 13 October, but he wasn't, and a day later their worst fears were confirmed.
Bipin, Dhan Bahadur and 15 other Nepalese agriculture students had been in Israel for just over three weeks when Kibbutz Alumim was attacked.
We knew that there may be a war in Israel. But we had no idea that there may be any ground attack of that magnitude, Dhan Bahadur said.
Dhan Bahadur credits his survival to Bipin's courage, remembering how Bipin threw a grenade out just before another explosion inflicted injuries on others.
Tragically, ten of the Nepalese students were killed, and Bipin was among those captured. Dhan Bahadur reveals that he last saw Bipin as he was taken to another bunker before the attack escalated.
The story emphasizes both heroism in the face of danger and the heartbreaking consequences of conflict, with Bipin's dreams and ambitions left unfulfilled.
Bipin's death, confirmed by Israeli authorities, adds to the sorrow felt in his home country, where the community remembers his courage and spirit.
