JERUSALEM — The body of Youssef Ziyadne, an Israeli Bedouin taken hostage by Hamas-led fighters on Oct 7, 2023, has been found in a tunnel in Gaza, along with evidence suggesting his son may also have been killed, the Israeli military said on Wednesday (Jan 8).

It was not immediately clear how Youssef Ziyadne had been killed but Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said his death did not appear to have been recent.

"We are currently investigating the circumstances of his death and we are also investigating the findings regarding his son," he told a briefing with reporters.

"These findings raise concern for his life and they are still being examined at this moment," he said, without giving details.

Earlier Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the bodies of both men had been recovered.

Shoshani said special forces soldiers had conducted a "complex and difficult operation" in a tunnel in the area of the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday, and that the body of Ziyadne had been recovered close to bodies of armed guards from Hamas or another Palestinian militant group.

Related

---