The Israeli government officially identified two Tanzanians, Joshua Loitu Mollel and Clemence Felix Mtenga, as being held captive by Hamas since the attack that occurred on October 7 near the Gaza border, reports BBC.
Mollel and Mtenga were participating in an agricultural internship program in Israel when they were kidnapped by Hamas militants.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a plea for their safe and prompt return, along with photos of the two individuals, and asked for prayers for their safe and immediate return.
Joshua’s father, in an interview with the BBC, revealed that Israel’s ambassador to Tanzania contacted their family to assure them that the government is actively pursuing the matter. The father previously expressed the family’s desperate search for Joshua.
A yet-to-unidentified South African national is also among the 224 hostages held by Hamas.