Body of Tanzanian national Joshua Loitu Mollel returned to Israel by Hamas last night

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Joshua Loitu Mollel (Courtesy)
Joshua Loitu Mollel (Courtesy)

Military and Foreign Ministry representatives notified the family of Tanzanian national Joshua Loitu Mollel that his body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night, after forensic experts completed their identification.

Mollel, 21, an agricultural intern at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza.

The bodies of six slain hostages now remain held in the Strip — five Israelis and one foreign national: Meny Godard, Lt. Hadar Goldin, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

“The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Mollel family and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

The PMO says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back the remaining six slain hostages for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”

The six deceased hostages whose bodies were still held in Gaza as of November 6, 2025: (Top row from left) Meny Godard, Ran Gvili, Dror Or; (Bottom row) Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Hadar Goldin. (Collage by Times of Israel; Photos: Courtesy)

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