Israel‘s minister of defense, Israel Katz, announced the death of two Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas.
Hamza, 22, and Yousef al-Zaydana, 53, a father and son, who were kidnapped by Hamas members on October 7, 2023, were found dead in the Gaza Strip, reported Jewish News.
Israel’s minister of defense expressed his condolences in an announcement published on X.
“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 Minister of Foreign Affairs, 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.”
The two men were kidnapped in Kibbutz Holit along with two of Yosef’s children, Aisha and Bilal.
The brothers were released after 55 days in captivity by Hamas, said Jewish News.
Ali al-Zaydana, Yousef’s brother and Hamza’s uncle, spoke to Jewish News in an interview about his departed family members.
“We were informed that the bodies of Yousef and his son Hamza had been found. Our hearts ache,” Ali said. “We wanted them to return to the bosom of the family alive—but unfortunately they returned dead.”
Ali said according to the Aisha and Bilal, Hamas used the captives to help them with demands, regardless if they were “Jew or Arab.”
While chances of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration dwindled with the new stalemate, a senior Hamas member released a list to the BBC of 34 hostages they’re willing to release in the first stage of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
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