Israeli military says body of Bedouin hostage recovered from Gaza

The Israeli military stated that its forces discovered the body of Yousef Ziadna, a Bedouin Arab hostage held by Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, and there is evidence suggesting his son may also have died. The body of 53-year-old Yousef Ziadna was found on Tuesday in an underground tunnel in the southern Rafah area.

The military said that troops also found "deeply concerning" clues regarding the fate of Yousef's 22-year-old son, Hamza. Hamza was also kidnapped by Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel. On that day, Hamza's other two siblings, Aisha and Bilal, were also taken, but they were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed "deep sorrow" for the "terrible news" received by the Ziadna family today. Shortly after this news broke, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that mediators from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt are "very close" to brokering a new ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, at least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Wednesday, according to medics and first responders. The Israeli military also stated that they intercepted a rocket fired from southern Gaza. Yousef Ziadna lived in a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel. On the morning of October 7, 2023, he went to work at a dairy farm in Kibbutz Holit, and his three children came to picnic with him.

They were among 251 Israeli and foreign hostages kidnapped when hundreds of Hamas militants broke through the Israel-Gaza border fence and killed about 1,200 people. Israel launched an operation to destroy Hamas in response to the attacks. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 45,930 people have been killed in Gaza since then.

Israel says that 95 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with 34 presumed dead, in addition to four Israelis who were kidnapped before the war, two of whom have already died. The Israeli military said Yousef Ziadna was "killed while in captivity" and notified his family after identification procedures at the National Forensic Institute and the Israeli Police.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a spokesperson, told reporters that special forces found the bodies of several armed guards near his remains, and it is currently unclear how or when he died. "We are currently investigating his death and also investigating the findings regarding his son," he said, without disclosing any details. Earlier, Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that the bodies of both Yousef and Hamza had been found.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "We hoped and worked to return the four members of the [Ziadna] family who were held by Hamas safely." "We brought back the children, Bilal and Aisha, in November 2023, and also hoped to bring back Yousef and Hamza. I send my deepest condolences to the family." He also pledged that Israeli security forces would "continue to do everything possible to bring all the hostages, both living and dead, home."

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some of the hostages' families, said that the potential ceasefire and hostage release deal being discussed in Doha "came too late for Yousef." A statement said: "Every day in captivity poses a direct mortal danger to the hostages who have already survived 15 months, and threatens the possibility of returning the dead for burial."

On Sunday, Yousef Ziadna's name appeared on a list of 34 hostages that a senior Hamas official said the group was willing to release in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office denied that Hamas had provided such a list to Israel, saying that the list "was passed by Israel to the mediators back in July 2024." It also stated that Israel had not received confirmation on whether the people on the list were still alive.

Hamas's decision to share the list with the media is seen as an attempt to increase public pressure on the Israeli government as negotiations in Doha resume. On Wednesday, Antony Blinken said that a potential agreement was close and he hoped to "get this done" before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. The US Secretary of State added, "I believe that when we reach an agreement, it will be based on the plan that President Biden presented to the world in May."

Trump's Middle East envoy, Stephen Vytkov, also said at a press conference on Tuesday that there had been "significant progress" in the talks and he planned to join the talks. Meanwhile, Trump again threatened that if Hamas does not release all hostages in the next 12 days, "there will be a hell of a war in the Middle East." Hamas official Osama Hamdan responded, "I think the US president must make more rigorous and diplomatic statements."

Both sides have accused each other of making unreasonable demands that are hindering progress on an agreement. Hamas wants Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza. Israel has said it will not end the war until Hamas's military and governing capabilities are dismantled and all the hostages are brought home.