Yosef AlZayadni’s body was discovered in southern Gaza by Israeli soldiers amid claims Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal, which would free the remaining hostages
The body of a Hamas hostage has been discovered in an underground tunnel in Gaza – beside what are thought to be his son’s remains.
Yosef AlZayadni was found dead by Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, the nation’s military said. It added work is ongoing to determine if another set of remains belongs to the man’s son, Hamzah.
The grim find comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal which would free the remaining hostages and halt the fighting in Gaza. Israel says about one third of the remaining 100 hostages have died, but believes as many as half could be dead.
It is thought Yosef, 53, and Hamzah, 23, were still alive before Wednesday’s announcement, and so news about their fate could ramp up pressure on Israel to move forward with a deal. It is believed Hamzah died in captivity, while the circumstances behind Yosef’s death were being investigated.
Yosef and three of his children were among 250 hostages taken captive after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people. Yosef had a total of 19 children and had worked for 17 years at the dairy farm of a kibbutz that was among the communities attacked, said the Hostages Families Forum, a group representing the relatives of captives. The teenage children, Bilal and Aisha, were released along with about 100 hostages in a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.
The bodies of around three dozen hostages have been recovered in Gaza and eight hostages have been rescued by the army.
The Hostages Families Forum said the ceasefire deal being negotiated “comes far too late for Yosef – who was taken alive and should have returned the same way.”
“Every day in captivity poses an immediate mortal danger to the hostages,” the group said in a statement. The deaths of previous high-profile hostages have sparked large protests in Israel calling for a deal.
Yosef’s name appeared on a list of 34 hostages shared by a Hamas official with The Associated Press earlier this week, who the militant group said were slated for release. Israel said this was a list it had submitted to mediators last July, and that it has received nothing from Hamas.
