Israel has issued an update on Joshua Loitu Mollel, a student from Tanzania who was taken hostage in the Gaza Strip during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas.
Mollel was taken hostage and killed during the attack, and his body was held in Gaza for more than two years.
The 21-year-old agronomy student had arrived in Israel two weeks before the October 7 attack to join an agricultural training program run by Israel’s Foreign Ministry at the Ibim Agricultural Campus as part of his studies. He was kidnapped from the cowshed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where he worked, before he was murdered by Hamas gunmen, and his body was abducted to Gaza.
In a statement on November 6, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that Mollel’s body has been released as part of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement, adding that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have informed his family.
“IDF and MFA representatives informed the family of fallen hostage Joshua Loitu Mollel, a student from Tanzania, who was taken hostage in the Gaza Strip on 7 Oct. 2023, that their loved one has been returned to Israel and that his identification has been completed,” the statement reads.
“The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Mollel family and all the families of the fallen hostages. The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for proper burial in their country.”
Israel puts Hamas on notice after receiving the body of Joshua Loitu Mollel
In addition, the office maintained that Hamas is “required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return the fallen hostages as part of the implementation of the agreement.”
“We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them. May his memory be for a blessing,” the statement adds.
Mollel had initially been reported to have been taken hostage by Hamas before Tanzania’s government confirmed in December 2023 that he had been killed.
Tanzania’s Foreign Minister, January Makamba, in a statement on December 14, 2023, said the student was killed immediately after he was taken hostage. Fellow student Clemence Felix Mtenga was also killed in the attack. Joshua’s father, Loitu Mollel, was notified about the death of his son, the minister added.
“We are planning to take Mollel, another family member, and a government official to Israel to get more information on the matter,” Makamba posted on X.
The update comes after Israel confirmed on Wednesday that the body of a deceased Israeli captive had been transferred to its custody via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Hamas hands over body of Israeli captive; Israel kills two in Gaza
Following the confirmation, the IDF reported that two Palestinian men were killed in separate Israeli attacks in central Gaza. According to the IDF, the men were shot after allegedly crossing the ceasefire’s designated “yellow line.”
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Israeli military operations continued in southern Gaza, where troops carried out raids, intensive artillery shelling, and large-scale demolitions. The escalation has further strained the already dire humanitarian situation in the enclave.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces conducted raids across several towns, sparking confrontations with residents.
At least three Palestinians were detained during these operations, while Israeli settlers reportedly assaulted residents in the Hebron-area community of Masafer Yatta.
Meanwhile, across the northern border, Lebanese authorities reported that an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed one person and injured another, further heightening cross-border tensions.
Amid the ongoing hostilities, Gaza’s water crisis has worsened dramatically. Municipal spokesperson Hosni Mhanna described the situation as “catastrophic,” noting that the central desalination plant is now completely out of service.
Only 17 of the territory’s 88 wells remain operational, leaving large parts of the population without access to clean water.
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