October 7 · Personal story
Joshua Loitu Mollel
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nahal Oz
Current outcome
Returned for burial · November 5, 2025
His remains were returned from Gaza to Israel on November 5, 2025, for identification and burial.
01
Before Israel
Joshua Loitu Mollel was 21 and the eldest of five children. He had just finished agricultural college in Tanzania and left northern Tanzania for Israel about a month before the attack; it was his first trip abroad, and he was excited to board the plane. He hoped to become a successful farmer. His parents hoped agricultural study and crop-growing training would increase their income, while his younger siblings looked up to him as a role model.
02
October 7
Mollel worked on a dairy farm and lived at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where he had arrived 19 days before October 7, 2023. His father Loitu last spoke with him on October 5 and urged him to behave well abroad and make the most of his training. His friend Ezekiel Kitiku, working at a different kibbutz, contacted Joshua as rockets began that morning. Joshua and their friend Clemence said they were going to shelters. By about 10 a.m., Kitiku’s messages no longer reached either friend; his last question asking whether they were safe went unanswered.
03
In captivity
In its October 24, 2023 report, BBC Swahili said the family did not know where Mollel was or what had happened. His father recalled the last WhatsApp appearance on October 7; his younger daughters asked morning and night to speak with their brother. Later reporting established that Mollel had been killed on October 7. His body remained in Gaza until it was returned in November 2025.
04
Return
Hamas returned Mollel’s remains from Gaza to Israel on November 5, 2025. Israeli authorities identified him the next day and notified his family. On November 18, officials, friends, and fellow students held a farewell ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport; his coffin was placed on a plane for Tanzania. His remains arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport on November 19. A Tanzanian report that day said he was to be laid to rest in Njiro on November 20.
05
After his return
After the remains were identified, Mollel’s family received notice and could begin bringing him home. At the November 18 airport farewell in Israel, fellow student Kelvin Danstan spoke of their shared ambitions, and the coffin was placed on the plane to Tanzania. His remains arrived the next day at Kilimanjaro International Airport. The Citizen reported that the burial was planned for November 20 in Njiro, Manyara Region.