KATHMANDU, October 12(HS): Nepali citizen Bipin Joshi has been confirmed to be alive and is on the list of hostages slated for release by Hamas, which is expected to begin on Monday as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.On Sunday, reports from The Times of Israel and The Washington Post confirmed that Joshi is among the hostages verified to be alive.

In previously released lists, his status had been marked as unknown. However, new lists published by The Washington Post, The Times of Israel, and the Associated Press, citing Hamas leaders, now affirm that he has survived.The hostages currently believed to be alive are all men, with the majority reported to be in their 20s and 30s.

Previous phases of the ceasefire agreement saw the release of women, children, and men over the age of 50.Joshi, a student from Nepal, was abducted while working in a field at Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel. His family has confirmed receiving a video, recently recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza, which shows him alive.

The footage is believed to have been recorded in November 2023.He had arrived in Israel just one month before his abduction. Joshi had traveled to the country to participate in an agricultural earn and learn program, working and studying at Kibbutz Alumim near the Gaza border.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar