Qatar on Monday said it is making efforts to secure the release of Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who has been held hostage by Hamas militants for two months.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told Foreign Minister NP Saud that all efforts are being made for the release, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Saud, who is in Doha to attend the 21st Doha Forum, paid a courtesy call on the prime minister and discussed different areas of bilateral cooperation.

“During the meeting, the two sides discussed trade and investment matters, cooperation through Qatar Fund for Development, exchange of high-level visits and most importantly, the release of Bipin Joshi from captivity in Gaza,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

On Sunday, Foreign Minister Saud met his Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi and reiterated the request for Qatar’s facilitation for Joshi’s early release.

Joshi is one of the 17 Nepali students who were living at Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, close to the Gaza Strip, and came under attack from the Islamist group that rules the strip on October 7. A total of 10 Nepalis lost their lives in the attack.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had said that Joshi has been held hostage by the Hamas militants. In a statement, the Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv said the IDF spokesperson had confirmed that Joshi was in the militant group’s captivity.

However, Joshi’s state of well-being and his whereabouts still remain unknown.

Hamas released 105 people during a temporary truce with Israel, from November 24 to December 1. The truce, which was mediated by countries including Qatar also allowed the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza.