**Breaking: Israel Confirms Hamas Has Returned the Remains of Tanzanian Hostage Joshua Mollel Under Ceasefire Deal**
Israel’s Prime Minister’s office has confirmed that Hamas returned the remains of deceased Tanzanian hostage Joshua Mollel on Wednesday as part of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement. Following forensic tests at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry notified Mollel’s family of his return.
Mollel, a 21-year-old agricultural intern, was killed during a Hamas-led attack at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023. His body was taken by the militants, and his remains have now been handed over to the International Red Cross in Gaza.
The return of Mollel’s remains means that six hostages, including five Israelis and one Thai national, remain unaccounted for in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office expressed condolences, stating, “The government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Mollel family and all the families of the fallen hostages.”
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is required to return all deceased hostages. Israel has pledged to “spare no effort” in recovering every fallen hostage, emphasizing that their work is far from over.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed cautious optimism, saying, “Joshua’s return offers some comfort to a family that has endured unbearable uncertainty for over two years.”
In a related development, Hamas’s military wing announced the recovery of another hostage’s body from the eastern Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. Israeli forces have permitted the Red Cross and Hamas staff to conduct searches in areas still under Israeli control. Recently, the body of Israeli-US soldier Staff Sgt. Itay Chen was also found in the region.
The ongoing recovery efforts are part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which required Hamas to return 28 deceased and 20 living hostages within 72 hours. All living Israeli hostages were released on October 13 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israel has since returned the remains of 285 Palestinians, while Hamas has returned 19 Israeli and three foreign hostages’ bodies.
Five Israeli and one Thai hostage remain in Gaza, with Israel accusing Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the bodies. Hamas, on the other hand, maintains it is struggling to locate the remains amid ongoing rubble.
The slow progress has delayed any significant steps towards the second phase of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which includes plans for Gaza’s governance, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction efforts.
Since the October 7 attacks, which saw approximately 1,200 people killed, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 68,800 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
