The Israeli government has officially identified two Tanzanian individuals who have been held captive by the Hamas group since the attack on October 7th, just across the border from Gaza.
Joshua Loitu Mollel and Clemence Felix Mtenga had come to Israel as part of an agricultural internship program, as revealed by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released on Sunday.
In the statement, it was stated, “They were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and are being held hostage in Gaza. Please join us in praying for their safe and immediate return.”
The statement was posted on social media.
The statement also included pictures of Joshua and Clemence.
Joshua’s father spoke with the BBC, sharing that Israel’s ambassador to Tanzania had reached out to their family and assured them that the government was actively working on resolving the situation.
Prior to this, Joshua’s family had expressed their anguish while searching for him.
Clemence’s family, however, has not yet made any public statements regarding the situation.
At the moment, Tanzania’s embassy in Tel Aviv has not provided any immediate comments on the matter.
The Tanzanian embassy reported that more than 350 Tanzanian citizens reside in Israel, with around 260 of them being students.
Additionally, an unidentified South African national is also among the 224 individuals currently being held hostage by Hamas, according to the Israeli government.
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