Father and Son Hostage Bodies Found in Gaza – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
9:36 AM – Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Relatives of hostages Youssef Ziyadne, 53, and his son, Hamza Ziyadne, 22, have been informed by the Israeli military of the tragic discovery of their bodies in Gaza.
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Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, expressed his condolences on X, stating that the memory of the deceased would “not be forgotten.”
He mentioned that during his time as foreign minister, he “stood by the brave family during their hardships and developed a special connection with Ali, Youssef’s brother and Hamza’s uncle, who accompanied me on many diplomatic missions.”
Youseff was taken captive by Hamas during the horrific attack on October 7th, along with three of his children: Hamza, Bilal Ziyadne, 18, and Aisha Ziyadne, 17, while working at Kibbutz Holit.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30th, 2023, following a lengthy period of over 50 days in Hamas captivity.
The family initially held hope that the two were still alive prior to the unfortunate news.
“Our hearts are broken. We had hoped for their safe return, but instead, [he] came home deceased,” relative Ali Zayadni lamented, as reported by Ynet. “Aisha and Billy were eager to embrace [him]. This is an incredibly hard and shocking tragedy.”
“Every single day, the boys and I anxiously awaited any updates,” Ali recounted on Wednesday. “We were optimistic they would be included in the new agreement because we had seen reports suggesting they were among those released. We clung to the hope they were safe. When we finally received confirmation of their discovery, we were in disbelief, insisting, ‘Check again, perhaps there is a mistake, they might still be alive, let’s not rush to conclusions.’ Ultimately, we had to face the painful truth that shattered our hearts.”
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas have continued to blame one another for hindering various ceasefire and hostage release negotiations.
Furthermore, the militant organization announced on Tuesday that it would only release remaining Israeli hostages if Israel agrees to undertake a “comprehensive reconstruction” of the Gaza Strip, cease hostilities, and withdraw all troops from the area.
Israeli officials have consistently maintained that the conflict will not conclude until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are rescued. Hamas leaders have vowed to obliterate Israel and its populace by any means necessary.
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