JERUSALEM 

The Israeli army on Wednesday claimed that it retrieved the body of a hostage during an operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement on X, the army stated that its forces, in coordination with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), "successfully retrieved the body of Youssef Ziyadne from inside a tunnel in Rafah on Tuesday."

Ziyadne was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, and killed while in captivity, the army added, without providing details on how he was killed.

Israel currently holds more than 10,300 Palestinians in its jails, while it estimates that around 100 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza.

The army further noted: "As part of the retrieval operation, evidence related to Youssef's son, Hamza Ziyadne — who was also abducted on October 7 — was discovered, raising serious concerns about his fate."

In a related development, Israel's official broadcaster KAN reported that Youssef Ziyadne’s body was found alongside several bodies of armed men assigned to guard him, suggesting he may have been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed almost 46,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala