Joshua Mollel: Tanzania says student killed in Israel by Hamas

Image source, Joshua Mollel

Image caption, Joshua Mollel arrived in Israel just a month before the Hamas attack

Author, Wycliffe Muia in Nairobi & Alfred Lasteck in Dar es Salaam
Role, ��ý News
14 December 2023

A Tanzanian student initially reported to have been taken hostage by Hamas in Israel is confirmed to have been killed, Tanzania's government says.

Joshua Mollel was working as an agricultural intern at a kibbutz which was attacked by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.

Tanzania's Foreign Minister January Makamba says Mr Mollel was killed immediately after he was taken hostage.

Fellow student Clemence Felix Mtenga was also killed in the attack.

Loitu Mollel, Joshua's father, has been notified about the death of his son, the minister added.

"We are planning to take Mr Mollel, another family member and a government official to Israel to get more information on the matter," Mr Makamba posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The Mollel family has not yet commented.

In a Facebook post, authorities in Kibbutz Nahal Oz said Mr Mollel's body was being held by Hamas.

The two Tanzanian students had travelled to Israel just a month before the 7 October attack. It was initially reported that they were among the 240 people taken hostage by Hamas.

According to Tanzania officials, around 350 Tanzanians live in Israel, mostly students pursuing agricultural-related studies.

Dozens of residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz were among the 1,200 people killed by Hamas fighters on 7 October.

Since then, some 18,600 people have been killed in the Israeli operation in Gaza, Hamas says.