OAN Staff James Meyers
9:36 AM – Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Family members of hostages Youssef Ziyadne, 53, and his son, Hamza Ziyadne, 22, say that the Israeli military has informed them that they have sadly discovered the bodies of their two relatives, located in Gaza.
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Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz offered his condolences to the family on X, saying that their memory would “not be forgotten.”
He added that during his tenure as Israel’s foreign minister, he “accompanied the courageous family through difficult moments and formed a special bond with Ali, Yosef’s brother and Hamza’s uncle, who joined me on many of my trips and diplomatic meetings.”
Youseff was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during the gruesome October 7th attack, along with three of his children, Hamza, Bilal Ziyadne, 18, and Aisha Ziyadne, 17, while working in Kibbutz Holit.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30th, 2023, after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity.
The two were presumed alive before the news broke.
“Our hearts ache. We wanted them to return to the bosom of the family alive – but unfortunately , [he] returned dead,” relative Ali Zayadni said, according to Ynet. “Aisha and her brother Bilal were waiting to hug [him]. This is a difficult and shocking disaster.”
“Every day, the boys and I checked to see if there was anything new,” Ali shared on Wednesday. “We thought they would be released in the new deal because we saw reports that they were among those released. We had hope that they were still alive. The day after, when we received the message that they had been found, we couldn’t digest it and said, ‘Check, maybe you’re wrong, maybe they’re alive, don’t rush.’ In the end, all we had to do was accept the hard news that tore our hearts.”
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas have continuously accused each other of blocking multiple ceasefire and hostage exchange deals.
Additionally, the Islamist terrorist group said on Tuesday that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages if Israel agrees to a “full-scale rehabilitation” of the Gaza Strip, end the war, and withdraw all of its troops from Gaza.
Israeli officials have previously reiterated that they will not end the war until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are free. Hamas leaders have vowed to destroy Israel and kill the Israeli people by any means necessary.
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