Israel confirms Hamza Ziyadne killed in Hamas captivity

The remains of Ziyadne and his father, Youssef, were recovered by the IDF from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) confirmed on Friday morning that Israeli civilian Hamza Ziyadne, 22, was killed in Hamas captivity.

His family was notified following the identification process by National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police.

The IDF recovered the remains of Ziyadne and his father, Youssef, 53, from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday night.

The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed on Wednesday that Youssef’s remains were found. The statement did not immediately confirm Hamza’s death, though it said that the findings in the tunnel raised “serious concerns” for his life.

They were taken hostage alive during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, along with two of Youssef’s other children, Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17.

Palestinian terrorists abducted the residents of the Israeli Bedouin community of Rahat while they were working in Kibbutz Holit near the border with Gaza.

Bilal and Aisha were released as part of the November 2023 ceasefire agreement between Jerusalem and Hamas after 55 days in captivity.

On Oct. 7, 2023, some 25 residents of Rahat, the largest Muslim Bedouin city in Israel, headed to Gaza border Kibbutzim Holit and Sufa to work and did not return.

They were among some 1,200 people killed by terrorists during the invasion of of the northwestern Negev. Thousands more were wounded, and 251 were taken back to the Strip as hostages, including six Bedouin.

According to Israeli estimates, there are 98 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 94 abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Of the 251 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 157 have been returned or rescued, and Hamas is believed to be holding 36 bodies, 34 of them taken on Oct. 7 and the remaining two being IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were kidnapped in 2014.

“The IDF and Shin Bet send their heartfelt condolences to the families,” the statement said, adding that they are “continuing to operate in order to bring home all the hostages as soon as possible.”