Israel announces that it has recovered the body of a hostage in a Gaza tunnel. An agreement on a truce in the Gaza Strip is “ very close », Says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
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Israel confirms this Wednesday evening, January 8, having recovered the body of Youssef al-Zaydana, reports our correspondent in Jerusalem, Michael Paul. The body was found in a tunnel in the Rafah region, south of the Gaza Strip. The exact circumstances of death are not known at this stage.
The army also claims to have collected information during its operation concerning Hamza, Youssef’s son, “ which raise serious concerns about his fate », According to the Israeli spokesperson.
Youssef al-Zaydana, 53, from the Bedouin town of Rahat, was kidnapped on October 7, 2023 while working in a stable on a kibbutz bordering Gaza with three of his children. Two of them, Aisha, 17, and Bilal, 18, were released in November 2023.
This evening, relatives of the hostages deplore the slowness of negotiations for a truce agreement in the Palestinian enclave. In any case, it is too late for Youssef who, captured alive, had to return alive, underlines the families forum. The talks in Qatar are stalling precisely on the list of hostages who can be released.
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A truce agreement in the Gaza Strip very close », Says Antony Blinken
The announcement of the discovery of the body of Youssef al-Zaydana comes as indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel resumed this weekend in Qatar. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Wednesday during a visit to Paris, less than two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, that an agreement was “ very close » for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.
Despite intense diplomatic efforts led under the aegis of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, no truce has been concluded in Gaza since that of a week at the end of November 2023, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
According to Israeli counts, 98 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Thirty-six of them are presumed dead.