Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | By Michael Wandati | Two Tanzanian students, Joshua Loitu Mollel, 21, and Clemence Felix Mtenga, who were participating in an agricultural internship program in Israel, have been identified as the individuals kidnaped by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed the names of the two Tanzanian students kidnaped by Hamas in Gaza in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Mr. Mollel’s father, there is hope for their safe return, and both the Israeli and Tanzanian authorities are collaborating to secure their release.
Before the confirmation of his son’s situation, Mr. Mollel expressed deep concern about his well-being, affecting his health and daily life. The last contact he had with his son was on Thursday, October 5, just before the attack by Hamas gunmen on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where Joshua was studying.
As for Mr. Mtenga’s family, they have not yet made a public statement regarding the situation. These students were part of a group of 260 Tanzanian students in Israel.
On October 7, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the UK, US, and other Western powers, carried out an attack in Israel where 1,400 people were killed, and over 230 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas. These hostages come from 25 countries, including an unidentified South African individual.
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At present, the South African authorities have not provided a comment on the matter. Hamas claims to have hidden the hostages in secure locations and tunnels within Gaza.
Some of the hostages have been released since the attack, including an 85-year-old grandmother, Yocheved Lifschitz, who was abducted along with her husband Oded from a different kibbutz. She reported being mistreated during her journey to Gaza but otherwise treated well.
Following the attack, Israel launched airstrikes that resulted in casualties, with more than 8,000 people reported killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is under Hamas control.
