Zürcher Nachrichten - Body of Israeli hostage identified, two days after father's: army

Following a forensic examination, the Israeli military said it notified the family of Hamza al-Zayadna, 22, that he "was killed in Hamas captivity", after on Wednesday announcing that the body of his father Youssef, 53, had been recovered and brought back to Israel.

The hostages were identified as mediators make a renewed push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, and after hundreds of parents of serving soldiers appealed on Thursday for an agreement to stop the "endless" war and free the captives.

Palestinian militants seized the Arab Bedouin father and son from Kibbutz Holit near the Gaza border during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which started the war.

Kidnapped with them were Hamza's sister and brother, who were released during a week-long truce in November 2023, the only pause so far during more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militants.

Unconfirmed reports had emerged on Wednesday about the fate of Hamza al-Zayadna, though on Friday the military confirmed his remains had been identified.

- 'Hamas monsters' -

"The Zayadna family today received very, very, very heartbreaking news, as all of Israel did," said Yoav Heller, who organised a demonstration in support of the hostages at the gates of Jerusalem's walled Old City.

"This is precisely the evidence that we must do everything to bring them home because these Hamas monsters kill them in these tunnels," Heller said.

The military said troops found the body of Youssef al-Zayadna in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza.

After the announcement of Hamza al-Zayadna's death, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 94 people are still held captive in Gaza, including 60 believed alive. The other 34 have been declared dead by the military.

Netanyahu's critics have accused him of blocking a negotiated deal for their release, while he has blamed Hamas for not accepting his conditions.

On Thursday, the parent group of about 800 Israelis whose children are fighting in Gaza accused Netanyahu in a letter of waging "an endless war".

They said it "is dragging on without purpose and that the hostages will only be released as part of an agreement".

After the announcement of the elder Zayadna's death, a separate group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, again appealed for a deal to be struck for bringing the captives home.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Doha. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday after meeting negotiators that there is "some real progress".

The 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 46,006 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.

Y.Keller--NZN