CNN
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The Israeli military said Friday it had identified the body of a hostage recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza as the son of Yosef Al-Ziyadnah, a hostage whose body was recovered earlier this week.
Hamza Al-Ziyadnah, 23, was found dead in a tunnel in the Rafah area, a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and Internal Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, said on Friday.
The Israeli military said Wednesday it had recovered the body of Yousef Al-Ziyadnah, 53, from a tunnel in the Rafah area and had discovered evidence that raised “grave concerns” for his son’s life.
Hamza and his father were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and had been held in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamza and Yosef were abducted alive on October 7 and were killed while in Hamas captivity,” the statement said.
The Al-Ziyadnah family are part of the Bedouin Muslim-Arab community that lives in southern Israel’s Negev desert.
Yousef and three of his children – Hamza, Bilal, and Aysha – were taken from Kibbutz Holit in southwest Israel, where they used to work. Bilal and Aysha were among the dozens of hostages returned in the short-lived ceasefire deal in November 2023.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed grief at the news of Hamza’s death and again called for a deal to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
“Yosef and Hamza, who survived a period in the hell of Gaza captivity, could have been saved through an earlier agreement,” the statement said.
“The time and conditions are ripe for all the hostages to return – bringing the living home for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial,” it said. “The negotiations must be expedited to secure an immediate deal for their return. This historic window of opportunity stands before us and must not be lost.”