Joshua Mollel Second Body of Tanzania student killed on Israel-Hamas war yet to be recovered. Joshua Mollel, a 21-year-old Tanzanian agricultural intern, arrived in Israel in mid-September this year, just weeks before the start of the Israel-Hamas war. He was full of hopes and dreams for the future as he took a photo of himself in the plane to capture the experience of his first-ever trip out of Tanzania. The eldest of five siblings, Joshua was a recent graduate of agriculture in Tanzania and went to work on a cow farm in Israel. He wanted to learn about modern livestock-keeping methods in Israel, in what he thought was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Joshua Mollel
He was sent to the Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a small agricultural pioneering community in southern Israel close to the border with the Gaza Strip, whose economy is based on intensive farming of field crops, dairy cattle and poultry. Joshua’s dream was to become a big farmer upon his return to Tanzania after his practical studies in Israel. But his dream soon turned into a terrible nightmare when Hamas fighters attacked Nahal Oz on October 7.
In a Facebook post, Kibbutz Nahal Oz said yesterday that Joshua was killed in captivity after he was taken hostage to Gaza, Palestine. The Times of Israel reported yesterday that Joshua was kidnapped and taken to Gaza where he was murdered. His body is currently being held by the Hamas group, according to the Israeli newspaper.
The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants rights group in Israel says Joshua’s father, Loitu Mollel, is refusing to believe the news since his questions to authorities about the source of the information haven’t been answered. “We hope state authorities provide an explanation to Loitu about the source of the information,” it says. Tanzania’s foreign affairs minister, January Makamba, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, today that he has spoken to Joshua’s father to inform him about the death. Makamba said Joshua’s father will be flown to Israel to enable him to get more clarification on the death of his son.
Joshua becomes the second Tanzanian killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Fellow student Clemence Mtenga was also killed in the war, but his body was recovered and returned to Tanzania. A total of 36 agriculture interns from Tanzania were living near Gaza at the time of the attack. Joshua and Clemence went missing after the war erupted, while the remaining 34 Tanzanian students were accounted for.