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Hamas releases video with 19-year-old Israeli hostage
Hamas released a video on Saturday of a 19-year-old Israeli hostage held in Gaza since its October 2023 attack. LiveNOW's Austin Westfall discusses the latest in the Middle East with national security analyst and retired Marine Corps intelligence officer Hal Kempfer.
Israeli soldiers recovered the body of Yosef AlZayadni, a 53-year-old hostage, from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, the military announced Wednesday. The discovery raises pressing questions about the fate of his son, Hamzah, who was also taken captive during Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel. Military officials said evidence found in the tunnel suggests Hamzah’s life is in serious jeopardy.
The recovery comes as reports indicate Israel and Hamas are nearing a ceasefire agreement that could lead to the release of remaining hostages in Gaza. Israeli officials estimate that about a third of the 100 captives are dead, but as many as half may still be alive.
Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said investigators are determining how Yosef died but stressed the alarming implications for Hamzah’s survival.
Who were Yosef and Hamzah AlZayadni?
Yosef AlZayadni, a father of 19, worked at a dairy farm in Kibbutz Holit for 17 years. He was among 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants during the October assault that left 1,200 Israelis dead. Two of Yosef’s teenage children, Bilal and Aisha, were released in a prior ceasefire deal in November 2023.
The AlZayadni family is part of Israel’s Bedouin community, a traditionally nomadic group within Israel’s Palestinian minority that faces widespread poverty and marginalization. Eight Bedouins were abducted in the October attacks, highlighting the community’s unique vulnerabilities in the ongoing conflict.
A banner bearing pictures of Bedouin Arab hostages Youssef al-Zayadna (L) and his son Hamza, hand at the gate of the family home in the southern bedouin city of Rahat, on January 8, 2025.
Trump’s warning on hostages
President-elect Donald Trump has previously weighed in on the crisis, warning of severe consequences if hostages are not released before his inauguration on January 20. "There will be all hell to pay," Trump declared, following a Hamas-released video showing Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander pleading for freedom.
On Truth Social, Trump criticized the lack of progress, writing, "Everybody is talking about the hostages... But it’s all talk, and no action!" He promised a forceful U.S. response if hostages remain in captivity, amplifying international pressure on the negotiations.
Ceasefire talks and growing grief
The news of Yosef’s death has intensified calls for Israel to finalize a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sorrow, stating his government had "hoped and worked to bring back the four members of the family from Hamas captivity."
The Hostages Families Forum, representing relatives of captives, criticized delays in reaching an agreement, calling it "far too late for Yosef." They stressed, "Every day in captivity poses an immediate mortal danger to the hostages."
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism, stating a ceasefire and hostage deal were "very close." However, the ongoing war in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, remains a major obstacle to peace.
As families across Israel await news of their loved ones, Yosef AlZayadni’s death underscores the devastating toll of the conflict and the urgent need for resolution.
The Source
Information for this story was sourced from The Associated Press, statements from IDF officials and previous FOX reporting.