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The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had recovered the body from the Gaza Strip of an Israeli citizen who was kidnapped by Hamas during its October 7 terror attack and held hostage, and that it was working to identify the remains of another body as possible Israeli. hostage
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), together with Israel’s intelligence services, located and recovered the body of 53-year-old Youssef Ziyadne from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip, and returned his body to Israel, he said. The IDF said Ziyadne was killed in captivity.
The IDF said it also had evidence linking Ziyadne’s son, Hamza, who was also abducted on October 7. Officials said the information raises serious concerns for his life, but did not confirm the death.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies of Youssef and Hamza were recovered in a “heroic operation” and said he had reached out to the Ziyadne family, who accompanied him to meetings with leaders worldwide to advocate for the release of hostages, during their time as hostages. Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Even now, in these moments, we continue to do everything possible to fulfill our supreme moral obligation: the return of all abductees, alive and dead, to the Land of Israel,” he said. wrote in Hebrew the X.
“The pain of the Ziyadna family is the pain of all of us, and the memory of Yousef and Hamza will not be forgotten.
The recovery of Ziyadne’s body comes as Israeli and US officials are indirectly involved in talks with Hamas for a ceasefire and a deal to release the hostages, where about 60 of about 100 are believed to be still alive people Hamas kidnapped more than 200 people from southern Israel on October 7, and approximately 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in late November 2023.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the non-profit organization that advocates for the release of hostages held by Hamas, described Ziyadne as “a man of dialogue and human connection, a pillar of strength for his family and a figure influential in their community.”
He was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Holit, along with his three children, Hamzah, and Bilal and Aisha, who were released during the November deal.
“The deal on the table comes too late for Yosef (Youssef), who was taken alive and should have returned the same way,” the forum said in a statement.
“Each day in captivity poses an immediate mortal danger for the hostages who have managed to survive for 15 months, and threatens with the possibility of returning the deceased to be buried. The time and conditions are ripe for the return of all hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the dead for proper burial. We eagerly await additional information regarding Hamzah’s fate.”
President-elect Trump has warned that “hell” will break loose in the Middle East if the hostages are not returned before his inauguration, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration is working to conclude a ceasefire and a hostage release agreement in recent weeks. of the president’s mandate.
