Israel identifies latest hostage remains from Gaza
Israeli officials have confirmed that the last remains of a hostage returning from Gaza belong to a Tanzanian agriculture student in Israel who was killed in the Hamas-led offensive that started the war.
Thursday’s development was the latest step forward under the US-brokered ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the remains were identified as Joshua Loitu Mollel and his family was informed.
Mollel, 21, had arrived at kibbutz Nahal Oz just 19 days before the attack on October 7, 2023; After graduating from the agricultural faculty in his hometown, he wanted to gain experience in Israel, which he could apply to in Tanzania.
He is survived by his two parents and four siblings in Tanzania.
“Joshua’s return provides some comfort to a family that has endured unbearable uncertainty for over two years,” Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement. he said.
There are currently six bodies of hostages in Gaza.
Militants have released the bodies of 22 hostages since the ceasefire began in October.
Among the six bodies still found in Gaza is the body of Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the only non-Israeli.
Hamas returned 20 live hostages to Israel on October 13.
The exchange of the dead then forms the central component of the first phase of the agreement, which requires Hamas to return all hostage remains as soon as possible.
Talks continued even as Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating other terms of the agreement.
Israel handed over 285 bodies, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which managed the exchanges.
Health officials in Gaza said identifying remains handed over by Israel was complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits.
Israel did not say how many bodies it had or where they were found, but it was returning 15 bodies when the remains of an Israeli hostage were returned from Gaza.
Hamas said recovering bodies was difficult due to widespread destruction in coastal areas, and one to three bodies were being returned every few days.
Israel has pressed to speed up returns and in some cases said the remains were not those of the hostages.
