Israeli army says it recovered body of hostage in Gaza

The Israeli Army confirmed this Wednesday (8) that it recovered the body of Israeli hostage Youssef Ziyadne after locating him in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

“Yesterday, (Tuesday, 7th) the IDF and the Shin Bet intelligence service located and recovered the body of Youssef Ziyadne from an underground tunnel in the Rafah region, bringing him back to Israeli territory. Youssef was kidnapped on October 7th and died in captivity,” the IDF said in a post on X.

According to the military, Ziyadane’s family has already been notified about the recovery of the body, as detailed in the military post.

The Army also said in its publication that it had located traces related to Youssef’s son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also kidnapped on October 7, “raising serious concerns about his life.”

“(…) As part of the rescue operation, evidence was found relating to Yosef’s son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also kidnapped on October 7, raising serious concerns about his life,” they said in the post, where they added that “ the IDF and Shin Bet express their condolences to the family at this difficult time.”

The Israeli media mention that Hamza’s body was found next to his father’s, information that would have been passed on by family members and the Ministry of Defense, but the IDF has not yet confirmed this information.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences to Ziyadne’s family. In an official statement, Netanyahu lamented the tragic outcome and highlighted the continued efforts of the IDF and the Shin Bet intelligence service to ensure the safe return of all those who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

“We brought the children Bilal and Aisha on November 23, and we wanted to bring Youssef and Hamza in the same way,” said the prime minister, referring to the successful rescue of Bilal and Aisha Ziyadane, Youssef’s other children, carried out in the year past. Netanyahu assured that Israel will remain committed to bringing back all hostages, “both the living and the dead.”