In a heartbreaking conclusion to more than a year of anguish, the bodies of Yousef Al-Zayadni and his son Hamza were discovered in the Gaza Strip and repatriated to Israel, their family was informed on Wednesday.

According to the IDF, Al-Zayadni was abducted alive and subsequently murdered in captivity. His remains were recovered from a terror tunnel in the Rafah area. While the IDF only confirmed that Yousef’s body was recovered and that “findings were located related to Youssef’s son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also abducted on October 7th, which raise serious concerns for his life,” the family of the hostages say both bodies were indeed recovered.

“We were informed that the bodies of Yousef and his son Hamza were found. Our hearts ache. We wanted them to return to the bosom of the family alive – but unfortunately, they returned dead,” said Ali Ziyadne, a grieving relative. “Aisha and her brother Bilal were waiting to hug them. This is a difficult and shocking disaster.”

“Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families and communities today,” the IDF said in a statement.

“The IDF and ISA are continuing to operate in order to bring home all the hostages as soon as possible,” the statement added.

The father and son were among those abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, during the brutal invasion of southern Israel that claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people. Taken from Holit, their fate remained uncertain for over a year as their family clung to hope.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)