JERUSALEM — Israeli forces have recovered the body of Yussef Ziyadne, an
Israeli-Bedouin hostage kidnapped by Hamas during its October 7 attack, from a
tunnel in Gaza's Rafah area, the military said.
Ziyadne, 53, was confirmed dead at Israel's National
Institute of Forensic Medicine after his body was found on Tuesday.
The military on Wednesday said he was "killed in
captivity" and that evidence found during the recovery operation raised
"serious concerns" about the fate of his son Hamza, who was also
taken hostage, reports Xinhua news agency.
Ziyadne and his three children -- Hamza, 22, Bilal, 18, and
Aisha, 17 -- were abducted while working at Kibbutz Holit. Bilal and Aisha were
freed during a prisoner exchange in November 2023. His family confirmed they
had been notified of the recovery.
Of the 251 people taken captive during Hamas's assault on
southern Israel on October 7, 2023, nearly 100 remain in Gaza, with at least 36
believed dead, according to Israeli officials.
The discovery came as negotiators meet in the Qatari capital
of Doha for fresh talks on a potential ceasefire-hostage deal, though no
breakthrough has been reported.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's office said that Hamas has not provided a name list of Israeli
hostages to be released.
"Hamas has not transferred a name list of (Israeli)
hostages so far," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Sunday,
denying previous media reports, which, citing a Hamas official, said the group
agreed to release 34 hostages.
Last week, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said Palestinian
factions need a week to prepare and deliver a list of Israeli hostages for
exchange during the first phase of a possible ceasefire deal, Israel's
state-owned Kan TV reported
