Yesterday (Tuesday), the IDF located the bodies of the kidnapped Yousef and Hamza Al-Ziyadnah in an underground tunnel in Rafah.
The bodies of terrorists who were guarding the two were also found at the scene. The IDF still does not know the circumstances of the deaths of the hostages and the terrorists, but the incident was not recent.
The rescue came after information was recently received indicating that there was a possibility that two bodies of the kidnapped could be in the same area. The bodies of the two were brought to Israel and taken for examination - and only after verification was the family informed.
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According to Doron Kadosh, the military correspondent for the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, this is an area in which the IDF has operated in the past, but following intelligence information, the forces returned there to locate the bodies.
Alongside Yosef's body, 2-3 bodies of the terrorists who were apparently holding the two were also found. Additional intelligence information was also found in the tunnel. Forces continue to operate in the area.
An IDF spokesman updated that the IDF and Shin Bet located and extracted Yosef's body from the tunnel yesterday, noting that as part of the operation, findings related to Hamza were located and raise serious concerns for his life.
In contradiction to the IDF statement, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a statement of condolences to the family, in which he noted that Hamza's body had also been recovered. Katz also went ahead and issued a statement on the subject before the IDF spokesman's statement.
An official statement issued by the IDF and the Shin Bet reads: "The IDF and Shin Bet located and returned the body of the late Youssef Al-Zaydana to Israeli territory yesterday from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area. Youssef Al-Zaydana was kidnapped on October 7th and was killed in captivity. In addition, as part of the rescue operation, findings were found that are linked to Youssef's son, Hamza Al-Zaydana, who was also kidnapped on October 7th, raising serious concerns for his life.".
The statement further stated: "Following an identification process conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police; the Abductees' Support Unit in the Human Resources Division, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the abductees, delivered the message to the family.".
The family said: "Our hearts ache. We wanted them to return to the bosom of the family alive - but unfortunately they returned lifeless. Aisha and her brother Bilal were waiting to hug them. This is a difficult and shocking disaster.".
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced: "I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Al-Zaydana family upon the discovery of the bodies of Yousef and Hamza, who were kidnapped by Hamas murderers on October 7, and rescued in a heroic operation by our heroic fighters.
""During my tenure as Foreign Minister, I accompanied the brave family through difficult moments, and I became particularly close to Ali, Yousef's brother and Hamza's uncle, who accompanied me on many of my trips and political meetings and told the story of Yousef and Hamza to many leaders.
""Even now, in these moments, we continue to do everything to fulfill our supreme moral obligation - the return of all the abductees, living and dead, to the Land of Israel.".
""The pain of the Al-Ziyadna family is the pain of all of us, and the memory of Yousef and Hamza will not be forgotten. May their memory be blessed.".
Yosef Al-Ziadna, 54, a father of 19 children, a resident of Rahat, was kidnapped alive on October 7 from Kibbutz Hulit in the Gaza Envelope, along with three of his children - Hamza, 23, and his two younger children Bilal and Aisha. Yosef had worked at the kibbutz's dairy farm for nearly 19 years, and his sons and daughter had joined him to assist him in his work.
Aisha and Bilal were released after 55 days in captivity - as part of the seventh round of the hostage release deal that took place in November 2024. Yousef's family did not know what happened to him until a photo of him being held captive by Hamas was published by the terrorist organization.
Until now, their family held onto hope that the father of the family and the older brother would also return alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "On behalf of myself and my wife, I would like to express deep sorrow for the bitter news that the Al-Zaydana family received today.
""We hoped and worked for the safe return of the four family members from Hamas captivity. We returned the children Bilal and Aisha on November 23, and we wanted to return Yousef and Hamza in the same way.".
I send my deepest condolences to the family.
""I thank the IDF and Shin Bet forces for their determined activity to return our hostages. We will continue to make every effort to bring all of our hostages home - both the living and the dead.".
The 'Tikva' forum published a statement that read: "Families of abductees from the Tikva forum share in the grief of the family of Yusef and Hamza Al-Ziyadnah, who will bring their loved ones for burial who were abducted on Simchat Torah after being released by IDF forces from the Gaza Strip.".
""We thank the heroic IDF soldiers who work day and night for the return of our loved ones, and many of them paid with their lives for this cause.".
