Youssef Hamis Ziyadne

Youssef Ziyadne, 53, from Rahat, was a dairy farmer and the father of a large family. He worked in the cowshed at Kibbutz Holit and was known through the family and working life he built in the south. On October 7 he was at work with three of his children—Hamza, Bilal and Aisha—when all four were taken captive.

Youssef Hamis Ziyadne, 53, of Rahat, was abducted by Hamas terrorists together with three of his children on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Holit, where they were working. IDF and security forces located his body in a tunnel in Rafah and returned it to Israel today (8 January 2025). Two of the children - Bilal Ziyadne, 18, and Aisha Ziyadne, 17, were released on November 30 after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity; Youssef and Hamza remained as hostages in Gaza. In the same tunnel in which Youssef’s remains were found, the IDF force located findings that raise heavy concerns for the life of his son Hamza Ziyadne, who was abducted alongside him.