Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student, was 21 years old when he was murdered in Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the October 7 massacre. The terrorists took his body to Gaza.
His remains were returned to Israel on Wednesday night and identified at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv.
Mollel arrived in Israel on September 7, 2023, as part of the Agrostudies agricultural training program. He wanted to learn practical skills he could contribute to the Tanzanian agricultural sector.
Mollel lived and worked at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the Gaza border, alongside his roommate, Evasius Cleophace, who survived.
During the attack, Mollel was working at the kibbutz’s dairy farm. He remained in touch with Cleophace for several hours before contact was cut. Mollel was never heard from again.
Tanzanian student laid to rest
Tanzanian intern Ezekiel Kitiku was living and working with fellow countryman Clemence Mtenga, who was also abducted, on Kibbutz Nir Oz in the dairy farm. As the air-raid sirens sounded during the terrorist attack, he ran for shelter and texted both Mtenga and Mollel, he told the BBC.
“They told me that there were so many rockets coming from Gaza, and that they were going to the shelters, too,” he said, adding that a few hours later, they were no longer answering.
Other Tanzanian students and survivors would later speak about Mollel’s strong friendships and the deep emotional impact of his loss.
Despite the horror of his death, he is remembered by the Tanzanian students as a symbol of courage, hope, and quiet determination. His community remembers
Mollel as someone who came to Israel to learn, work hard, and uplift others.
Following his abduction, his family and Israeli NGO Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (HRM) searched for information for weeks. On December 13, 2023, the Israeli Foreign Ministry informed his father, Loitu Mollel, that his son had been murdered, and his body was being held by Hamas.
Soon after, graphic videos showing his abduction and murder circulated widely on social media. They were published by Israeli media outlets and official accounts without the family’s consent. Mollel’s relatives learned of his death from these videos, causing deep trauma.
On December 24, 2023, Loitu Mollel and his nephew traveled to Israel, where they met with government officials, visited Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and attended a memorial ceremony for his son.
Israeli authorities said Mollel was “immediately killed after being kidnapped by Hamas,” Tanzanian Foreign Minister January Makamba said at the time.
Mollel was the oldest of five children. He had earned a diploma in agriculture studies from a college in the eastern Tanzanian city of Morogoro and then left for
Israel in September, 2023. It was his first time traveling out of Tanzania.
In the weeks after the October 7 massacre and his abduction, his father said he had last spoken to his son on October 5.
“I said, ‘Be on your best behavior because you’re somewhere new, and make the most of the internship you’re there to do,’” he told the BBC.
“My son wants to make his fortune in agribusiness and become one of Tanzania’s most successful farmers,” he said, adding that his family was hoping he would return home from his studies to build a successful business.
Loitu Mollel said his son was “not a warrior. He just went for training but now is in trouble.” He said his son was polite, obedient, and serious about his work. He said his son’s younger siblings “ask me every morning and night: ‘Dad, we want to talk to our brother.’”
Local NGOs have criticized Israeli authorities for mishandling communications with Mollel’s family and failing to provide adequate psychological and financial support for foreign victims.
Tanzanian students like Mollel should be recognized as full victims of terrorism, they said, adding that the authorities should ensure that his body is returned to Tanzania for burial.