An Israeli hostage has been found dead alongside his father in Hamas’s network of underground tunnels in southern Gaza, the Israeli military has confirmed.
Israeli Bedouin Hamza Ziyadne, 22, was discovered near Rafah with his 53-year-old father Youssef Ziyadne by Israeli troops on Tuesday.
Hamza’s family was told earlier this week that his body was recovered but the Israeli military only confirmed his death today following forensic testing.
Youssef and Hamza were kidnapped along with another two of Youssef’s children, Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17, while working at a Kibbutz near the Gaza border on 7 October 2023. That day, Hamas attacked southern Israel Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid waste and most of the territory’s people – displaced multiple times – facing acute shortages of food and medicine due to Israel’s actions, humanitarian agencies say.
Bilal and Aisha were released on 30 November 2023 after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity, with their older sibling and father presumed alive until this week.
His family hit out at the Israeli government for not securing a ceasefire deal which they said could have saved them.
Youssef’s relative Odeh Ziyadne told Hebrew media outlet Ynet: “We had hope, Youssef was on the list. They could have rescued them alive.”
Youssef’s brother Ali Ziyadne added: “We wanted them to come back to the family alive. It’s a difficult and shocking disaster.”
“Every day, the boys and I checked to see if there was anything new,” he said. “We thought that they would be released in the new deal because we saw reports that they were among those who would be released, we had hope that they were still alive.”
It comes amid renewed efforts by mediators Qatar, the US and Egypt to reach a ceasefire deal and free the remaining Israeli hostages before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office on 20 January.
The Hostages and Missing Family Forum, the organisation representing most of the families, also said Youssef and Hamza could have been saved if an agreement had been secured earlier.
Negotiations have been at an impasse for a year over two key issues. Hamas has said it will only free its remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.
