Government reportedly demolishes home belonging to relative of slain hostage Youssef Ziyadne

Israeli authorities demolished a home belonging to a relative of slain hostage Youssef Ziyadne earlier today, Hebrew outlets report.

According to Ali Ziyadne, the brother of the deceased hostage, bulldozers arrived alongside law enforcement to destroy the building on the outskirts of Rahat, a Bedouin city in the Negev. The house belonged to their sister, a mother to 10 children, per Ali Ziyadne.

He tells the Walla news outlet that he had asked authorities to postpone the demolition by another year, as he and the rest of his family continue to mourn, but the request was denied.

עלי אל-זיאדנה, אחיו של החטוף יוסף אל-זיאדנה שנהרג בשבי בעזה: במקום שממשלת ישראל תגיע לנחם אותנו לאחר החזרת החטוף האחרון, שלחו אלינו כוחות כדי להרוס לנו את הבית pic.twitter.com/akJu6oKIm2

— מוחמד מג'אדלה محمد مجادلة (@mmagadli) January 28, 2026

“I thought the government would bow its head because of the funeral today,” he says to the outlet, referring to the funeral of Ran Gvili, the last slain hostage to be recovered from Gaza, who was laid to rest this afternoon. “They [the government] didn’t come to console [us], but they know how to destroy.”

Ziyadne, a 53-year-old Bedouin father of 19, was kidnapped to Gaza with three of his children by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.

The man and his son Hamze were subsequently killed in captivity. Ziyadne’s other two children, Bilal and Aisha, were freed in a November 2023 hostage deal, after spending more than 50 days captive in Gaza.

This is the second time authorities have demolished a home belonging to the bereaved family. In July, the government tore down a residential building belonging to Ziyadne’s brother, Khaled, and his son.