'Threw back Hamas grenade, saved my life': Bipin Joshi's friend recalls last time they saw each other

Nepal's , the only Hindu in Hamas custody who has been confirmed to be dead, was a braveheart. His friend Dhan Bahadur recounted how Bipin threw back a Hamas grenade and saved his life when the group of friends came under attack when they were in Israel two years ago.

"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 told BBC. "We thought that there could be missile attacks and we would be safe if we stay underground, in the bunkers."


They were invited to Israel under the Israeli government's "Earn and Learn" program. "At the time of attack, two grenades were thrown near the bunkers. He [Bipin] picked up one and threw it outside; one exploded inside. Due to that explosion, I and four others were injured," Bahadur said.

"He was unharmed at that point. If both grenades had exploded, I would not have been speaking with you like this."

Bipin was the only one captured and Dhan Bahadur recalled the last time they met when Bipin was taken to a different bunker.

Nepal has demanded justice for Joshi questioning how he was killed. "Even after the body of Bipin Joshi has been brought to Nepal, it is requested that appropriate initiatives be continued to find out the truth about the real cause and circumstances of his death, to provide justice, and to provide his family with social security, compensation, insurance, facilities, etc," Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

Hamas handed over the body of Bipin Joshi to Israel yesterday through the Red Cross. The Foreign Ministry also announced that the body of Bipin Joshi has been identified and the process of sending the body to Nepal has been initiated.

Bipin’s mother and sister went to the US to raise his case at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. They are now preparing to return home.