Clemence Felix Mtenga, 22, was one of two Tanzanians Abducted by the Group on 7 October
- 596 views
The Tanzanian government has confirmed the unfortunate death of a student who was taken hostage during the Hamas attack on Israel.
On October 7th, the militant group Hamas captured Clemence Felix Mtenga and another Tanzanian. Details of Mtenga's death have not been made clear as of yet. The Tanzanian government has attempted to communicate with Israel concerning Joshua Mollel, the other Tanzanian captive. Tragically, Hamas's attack has resulted in over 230 abductions and at least 1,200 fatalities.
Israel has disclosed that the captives, who were moved from Israel to the Gaza Strip, hail from 25 nations. Among them is an unidentified individual from South Africa. Presently, approximately 260 Tanzanian students are pursuing agricultural studies in Israel, including Mr. Mtenga and Mr. Mollel, who were enrolled in an agricultural internship initiative. As per the foreign ministry of Israel, these two students had just arrived in Israel in September and were slated to pursue their studies there for a duration of 11 months.
A BBC source reveals that Mr Mtenga, a friend and fellow student, has been living at Kibbutz Nir Oz and working at a dairy farm in the afternoons. Last month, when news of his abduction emerged, his sister expressed concern for his safety but held onto hope for his rescue. The Tanzanian foreign ministry has notified Mr Mtenga's family and is actively collaborating with the Israeli government to repatriate his body back home. We currently lack clarity on Mr. Mollel's situation.
Even before it was confirmed that he had been taken hostage, his father, consumed by worry, revealed to the BBC that he could not eat or sleep, longing to discover his son's fate. His parting words to his son before his abduction were, "Behave well and seize the opportunities of your internship in this new place." So far, four individuals who were taken hostage alongside his son have been freed, with one individual rescued by Israeli forces. Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist organization by many countries, including the US and the UK, still claims to be hiding the hostages in secure tunnels within Gaza.