Tanzania reported on Thursday the tragic demise of its second national, missing since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The victim, a 21-year-old student named Joshua Mollel, was studying in Israel and lost contact since the mentioned date.
Tanzanian Foreign Minister January Makamba, in a statement on X (ex-Twitter), stated, “We have been informed by the Israeli government that Joshua Mollel… was killed immediately after being captured by Hamas.”
Efforts are underway by the government to facilitate the travel of Joshua Mollel’s relatives, including his father, to Israel. Their purpose is to meet with authorities and “obtain more details,” according to Mr. Makamba.
Two Tanzanian students, part of the same program, went missing after the October 7th attack. In November, the Tanzanian authorities announced the death of the first student, 22-year-old Clémence Félix Mtenga, without specifying the circumstances of his death.
As of the latest figures released on Tuesday by Israeli authorities, 135 out of the 250 hostages and bodies taken on October 7th in the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attack are still held by Hamas and its allies. This announcement from Tanzania follows the confirmation of the death of its second national.
To date, 110 hostages have been released, with 33 minors, 49 adult women, and 28 adult men, primarily Thai farm workers. The death toll in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 18,600, mostly affecting women, children, and individuals under the age of 18, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas after the massive October 7 attack, involving commandos from the resistance movement infiltrating southern Israel from Gaza, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties, predominantly civilians, as per authorities.
