LONDON — A Tanzanian national who had been missing since being taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 has been confirmed dead, Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.
Joshua Mollel, 21, was a Tanzanian student who had been working as an agricultural intern at a kibbutz near Israel’s border with Gaza on Oct. 7, Tanzanian officials said.
“We have been informed by the Government of Israel that Joshua Mollel, a Young Tanzanian who was studying in Israel, and with whom we lost contact since October 7 2023, and with whom the Government has been making great efforts to obtain information on since then, was killed immediately after being captured by a group of Hamas on October 7th,” January Makamba, Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Mollel’s body is believed to still be held by Hamas within the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Foreign Ministry.
In a Facebook post, Kibbutz Nahal Oz sent condolences to Mollel’s family.
“This evening, we were informed that Joshua Luito Molal [sic], who was declared missing since 7th October, was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip and murdered,” announced Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the post. “His body is held by Hamas… May his memory be a blessing.”
At least 1,200 people were killed and 6,900 others injured when Hamas launched its surprise terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. In Gaza, more than 18,600 people have been killed and more than 50,500 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
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Eyat Shlein, Head of Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) said they learned of Mollel’s death “with great sorrow.”
“May he rest in peace,” said Shlein.
View this ABC News Report from December 14th