The Israeli military announced Wednesday that soldiers recovered the body of Yosef AlZayadni, a 53-year-old hostage, in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. The army is now working to determine if another set of remains belongs to AlZayadni’s son, Hamzah, who had been held captive with him.
The discovery marks a tragic development as Israel and Hamas approach a potential ceasefire agreement that could see the release of the remaining hostages and halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza. While Israel estimates that about a third of the 100 remaining hostages have died, officials are concerned that as many as half could have perished.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, Yosef and his 23-year-old son, Hamzah, were thought to still be alive. The news could increase pressure on Israel to finalize a ceasefire deal.
The military also shared that evidence found in the tunnel raised “serious concerns” for Hamzah’s fate, suggesting that he may have died while in captivity. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, confirmed that the circumstances of Yosef’s death are under investigation.
Yosef AlZayadni, who had worked at a dairy farm in a kibbutz for 17 years, was among 250 hostages taken when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people. His teenage children, Bilal and Aisha, were released in a ceasefire deal last November, but Yosef and Hamzah had remained in captivity.
The Hostages Families Forum, a group representing families of the captives, expressed frustration that the ceasefire deal being negotiated had come too late for Yosef, who “should have been returned alive.” The group also emphasized the mortal danger hostages face every day in captivity, a sentiment echoed by public protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure their release.
AlZayadni’s name was included on a list of 34 hostages provided by a Hamas official to The Associated Press, but Israel said this was a list it submitted to mediators in July, with no confirmation from Hamas.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close,” expressing hope for an agreement before the shift of U.S. diplomacy to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration later this month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed his sorrow over AlZayadni’s death, saying he had worked tirelessly to bring the family members back from captivity. Defense Minister Israel Katz had initially reported that both Yosef and Hamzah’s bodies were found, but later clarified that some remains were still unidentified.
The AlZayadni family, members of Israel’s Bedouin community, had long faced challenges in Israel’s Palestinian minority, which comprises about 20% of the country’s population. The family’s hometown of Rahat, where many Bedouins live, expressed deep sorrow over the loss. Talal Alkernawi, the mayor of Rahat, said, “We expected to bring them back alive…instead we receive them dead.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing war in Gaza continues to inflict heavy tolls. Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza, including three infants, according to Palestinian health officials. The conflict has claimed over 45,800 Palestinian lives, with women and children constituting over half of the casualties.
Israel’s military has responded by targeting Hamas militants, claiming to have killed over 17,000 fighters, though no evidence has been provided. The fighting has led to widespread destruction in Gaza, displacing about 90% of its 2.3 million residents.
The broader Middle East remains tense, with tensions escalating between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen who have ramped up missile attacks on Israel. On Wednesday, the U.S. military conducted a series of strikes against underground arms facilities held by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Source: AP
