Two hostages confirmed dead, bodies held by Hamas

Two hostages were confirmed murdered in Hamas custody on Wednesday evening, by the communities where they lived.

Tal Chaimi, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, and Joshua Luito Mollel, a resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, were murdered while being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Both their bodies are still being held by the terrorist group.

Chaimi was believed to have been kidnapped but new evidence showed he had been killed on October 7 and his body taken by Hamas to Gaza.

He was part of the emergency squads that were sent out to hold off the Hamas assault until reinforcements could arrive.

Chaimi left that morning, leaving his wife and children at home, after it became clear that Hamas had infiltrated Israel.

When the rest of the squad returned, their fellow defender was not among them. The squad was unable to tell his wife where he was.

Chaimi was a third-generation resident of Nir Yitzhak and a descendant of its founders. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

May their memory be a blessing

Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student, had only arrived in Israel two weeks before the October 7 massacre. 

He had been working in Nahal Oz as a dairy farmer and was at work on the day of the attack.

His father was informed tonight of his son's fate; he is reportedly in disbelief and has asked for the source of the information.

Mollel's father is arriving in Israel tonight accompanied by foreign ministry representatives, according to the Center for Immigrants and Refugees.