Mourners bury Israeli hostage found dead this week in Gaza

Members of the Bedouin community carry the body of Yosef Al Zaydani, who was in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, a day after the Israeli army said his body was recovered in a tunnel in Gaza, during his funeral in Rahat, Israel, Jan. 9, 2025.

JERUSALEM —

Hundreds of mourners gathered in the southern Israeli city of Rahat Friday for the funeral of 23-year-old Israeli hostage Hamzah al-Zayadni, whose body was recovered by Israeli soldiers in Gaza earlier this week.

The funeral was held hours after the army confirmed the body’s identity. It was retrieved along with that of his father, 53-year-old Yosef al-Zayadni, who was identified and buried Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, said the men were taken together and alive when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Two other Zayadni children also taken were released in a prisoner exchange during a weeklong truce in November 2023.

The IDF said the two bodies were discovered in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area. It was not reported how they died, but the Reuters news agency reported a military officer indicated their deaths were not recent.

Attacks on Houthis

The IDF also reported Friday that Israeli Air Force jets attacked targets of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

In a statement posted on its website and social media, the IDF said the attack was carried out in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against Israel.

Reuters reported one of the airstrikes struck Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, near protesters gathering in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Yemen’s al-Masirah television aired video of smoke rising near the city’s al-Sabeen Square. The broadcaster reported the air strikes also targeted a power station in the capital.

The IDF said they also targeted Houthi infrastructure at the ports of Ras Issa and Hudaydah, on the western coast of Yemen.

The Houthis rebels have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel and launched attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea near Yemen since the war began in Gaza. The rebels have said they are acting in support of Palestinians.

Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, "Just as we promised, the Houthis are paying — and will continue to pay — a heavy price for their aggression against us.”

Netanyahu said the Houthis “constitute a danger to Israel and to the entire region, including global freedom of navigation. I reiterate: We will not tolerate attacks on our citizens and on our country.”

In a statement, senior Houthi representative Hazem Assad said, "We will not issue threats like the clown Netanyahu. We will let the missiles and various destructive drones speak deep into the Zionist enemy.”

Ceasefire talks continue

Egypt, Qatar and the United States continue to lead efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with the release of hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a deal was "very close" and that he hopes to secure an agreement before President Joe Biden\’s term ends on Jan. 20.

During a gaggle with reporters Friday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the United States was feeling optimistic about the prospects of a deal but would not give specifics out of fear of sabotaging the talks.

Kirby would say only, “We believe we have made progress, and that does not mean the work is over.”

Asked what he thought the chances were a deal could be reached before Jan. 20, Kirby said he did not want to give a percentage but said that it was possible with hard work and that it remained a key focus of the national security team.

When asked what obstacles remain, Kirby would not go into details but said, “Hamas continues to be difficult at the table.”

The United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others designate Hamas as a terror group.

The war in Gaza began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel in which the militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. There are still about 100 hostages being held in Gaza, with at least one-third of them believed to be dead.

Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the territory\’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count but said that more than half the victims have been women and children.

In addition to those killed, the ministry said more than 109,300 people have been injured.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

By：VOA