IDF Confirms Recovery After Two Years of Anguish
The Government of Israel has confirmed the recovery of the body of Joshua Loitu Mollel, a 21-year-old Tanzanian national who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 assault on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where he worked as an agricultural intern.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Mollel’s remains were retrieved from Gaza on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, following months of coordinated efforts to locate and recover hostages and victims abducted during the deadly Hamas incursion.
“IDF representatives informed the family of Joshua Loitu Mollel that he has been returned for burial,” the Israeli military said in an official statement. “According to the information and intelligence available to the IDF, Mollel, 21, was an agronomy student who arrived in Israel for agricultural training at the Ibim Agricultural Campus as part of his studies. He was murdered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza.”
The IDF confirmed that his death had been officially verified on December 13, 2023, after months of investigation. “He leaves behind his parents, three sisters, and a brother,” the statement added, while extending condolences to the bereaved family.
Tanzania’s Promising Student and the Long Wait for Closure
Mollel, a native of Manyara Region in Tanzania, travelled to Israel through a bilateral agricultural internship programme jointly run by Tanzanian and Israeli institutions. He was stationed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a community near the Gaza border, when Hamas gunmen stormed the area, killing civilians and taking dozens hostage.
Initially listed among the missing, Mollel was later confirmed dead by Tanzania’s then–Foreign Minister, January Makamba, who disclosed that the young intern “was killed immediately after being taken hostage.”
At the time, Makamba said the Tanzanian government planned to send Mollel’s father, a family representative, and a government official to Israel to gather more information about the incident.
In Nairobi, the Embassy of Israel in Kenya expressed deep sorrow following the confirmation of Mollel’s identification, describing him as a “bright and determined young man” whose dream was to use his agricultural training to develop his community back home.
“The Embassy of Israel in Kenya receives the news of the identification by Israel of the body of Joshua Loitu Mollel with heavy hearts,” the mission said. “Joshua was killed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, and for 761 days, his family waited in anguish, denied closure. We mourn with the family of Joshua and pray that his soul will finally find eternal rest among his people.”
One of Five African Victims of the October 7 Attack
The October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel claimed the lives of at least five African nationals, including two Tanzanians, two Eritrean asylum seekers, and one Sudanese national.
Among them was Clemence Felix Mtenga, another Tanzanian student working on a nearby farm who was also killed during the attack. The other identified victims were Wolderaphael (Tiger) Hagos Berhe, a 40-year-old Eritrean asylum seeker whose remains were later identified through DNA testing; Goytum Jabrahiwat, another Eritrean national murdered in Sderot; and Adam Barima, a Sudanese asylum seeker killed in the same area.
The October 7 Hamas attacks resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people in Israel and the abduction of about 250 hostages into Gaza — an act that triggered the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States, the European Union, and several other countries.
IDF Reaffirms Commitment to Recover Remaining Hostages
The Israeli military reiterated its determination to recover all hostages and victims still held in Gaza, calling on Hamas to release all captives and allow their families to receive dignified burials.
“The IDF remains steadfast in its mission to locate and return all hostages and victims of Hamas terrorism,” the military statement concluded. “Every family deserves closure, and every victim deserves to be laid to rest in peace.”
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By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News
Joseph Iyaji is a journalist, educator, and founder of Akahi G. International, Akahi Tutors, and Akahi News. Read more about him here.
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