The body of a young Tanzanian student who was killed by Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, is reported to be still being held by the militia a year after his death.
“Joshua’s body was taken by the Hamas to Gaza and the Palestinian Militia is still holding it ransom,” said the Israeli envoy to Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Seychelles Ambassador Michael Lotem, whose office also handles Tanzanian diplomatic matters.
“Unfortunately, our efforts to convince the relevant governments to call the Hamas to release information about the whereabouts of Joshua’s Body and if they can release it have been unsuccessful,” said Ambassador Lotem.
Speaking in Arusha, Ambassador Lotem showed a video of young Mollel being tortured by Hamas and pleading for his life.
He said the video was circulated by the members of the Islamic Movement who until now boast to still have the dead body preserved and will be released once their demands are fulfilled.
“We want at least the young man to get a decent burial back home in Tanzania,” added Lotem. The envoy believes Mollel’s body could still be intact and preserved by Hamas for whichever reason.
Ambassador Lotem however did not disclose what the Hamas are demanding before releasing the body of the Tanzanian who was killed nearly 12 months ago.
The envoy however assured that there are more than 200 other Tanzanians who are studying in Israel at the moment and that the Tel Aviv government is taking good care of them.
The death of Joshua Mollel, 21, was confirmed on December 13, 2023.
That was according to an announcement from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where the Young Tanzania used to stay.’
Mollel was captured by Hamas and taken hostage to Gaza where he reportedly got tortured and eventually killed there.
Joshua Mollel, was an agricultural intern from Tanzania, studying in Israel.
He was previously reported missing from October 7, 2023 during the violent rampage by Hamas militia and the follow-up retaliation by Israel.
Mollel, 21, was living at Kibbutz Nahal Oz (Kibbutz is a term meaning village or hamlet in Israel).
A fellow agricultural intern at Kibbutz Nir Oz, Clemence Mtenga, was also initially considered missing and declared dead in the hands of the Hamas on November 18, 2023.
Mtenga’s body was however flown back to Tanzania and he was buried at his home village in Arumeru, Arusha. But for Mollel, he wasn’t that fortunate.
Joshua Mollel had arrived in Israel in mid-September, 2023 which was also his first time traveling out of Tanzania and it was also the last.
Thirty-six agriculture interns from Tanzania were living near Gaza at the time of the attack, according to the human rights organization Hotline for Refugees and Migrants. The rest have been accounted for.