The Israeli Defence Forces announced yesterday that Israeli troops had found the body of Yosef AlZayadni, a 53-year-old hostage in a southern Gaza underground tunnel and were investigating if another set of remains belonged to the man’s son.
Yosef AlZayadni’s body was found as Israel and Hamas are negotiating a ceasefire agreement that would end the war in Gaza and liberate the remaining hostages. Israel estimates that roughly one-third of the 100 hostages that are still alive died but it thinks that up to half may have been killed.
Prior to Wednesday’s revelation, Yosef and his son Hamzah AlZayadni were believed to be still alive; hence, information regarding their whereabouts may increase pressure on Israel to proceed with a deal.
The 23-year-old Hamzah AlZayadni may have died in custody, according to information the military said it discovered in the tunnel that generated “serious concerns” about his survival. Israeli military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani stated that an investigation was underway into the circumstances surrounding Yosef AlZayadni’s death.
After Hamas-led militants advanced into southern Israel and killed 1,200 people, 250 hostages, including AlZayadni and three of his children, were held prisoner. According to the Hostages Families Forum, a group that represents the relatives of hostages, AlZayadni had 19 children in total and had worked for 17 years at the dairy farm of a kibbutz that was one of the towns attacked. His teenage children, Bilal and Aisha, were released along with about 100 hostages in a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he hoped and will work to bring back the four members of the family from Hamas captivity and also expressed his grief over AlZayadni’s passing.
However, in Israel, the traditionally nomadic population is especially poor and has experienced marginalization and neglect. About 20% of Israel’s 10 million residents are Palestinian, while millions more reside in Gaza and the West Bank, which are both under Israeli military rule.
Many families worry that as long as the battle in Gaza continues, the destiny of their loved ones may be in danger. On the contrary, Israel’s military says, it only targets militants, who are said to hide among civilians.
The territory’s Health Ministry reports that more than 45,800 Palestinians have died in the conflict. About 90% of the 2.3 million people living there have been displaced by Israel, which has frequently demolished vast portions of the poor region.
