Bodies of 2 Israeli hostages recovered by soldiers in Gaza, defense minister says

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that troops have recovered the bodies of two additional hostages from Gaza.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies of Yosef Al Zaydani and his son Hamzah were recovered in an operation, without disclosing further details.

The men were taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The return of the two bodies comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza.

Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead.

However, Yosef and Hamzah Al Zaydani were believed to still be alive and their bodies' return could ramp up the pressure on Israel to move ahead on a deal.