Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 9, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Thousands attend funeral of slain Bedouin hostage; no coalition member makes it
Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli hostage Youssef Ziyadne in Rahat, southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, after his body was recovered in an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, where he had been held captive by the Hamas terror group. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Several thousand people are in attendance at the Rahat funeral of Youssef Ziyadne whose body was recovered from Gaza 15 months after Hamas terrorists abducted him and his son.
The 53-year-old’s body was found Tuesday night in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, along with findings that the IDF said were linked to his son Hamza Ziyadne, 22, who was taken hostage alongside him during the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
No government representative attended the funeral.
Following reports of government ministers’ absence, the Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement saying that two representatives from its hostage department are among attendees.
