The Israeli military said today that it had discovered the body of a hostage taken from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in an underground tunnel in the area of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, along with evidence that raises questions about the state of another, related captive.

The deceased hostage was identified as Youssef Ziyadne of Rahat, an Arab Bedouin city in southern Israel.

Ziyadne, who was in his 50s, and three of his grown children were abducted from a kibbutz where he and two of the children had been working during the Hamas-led attack on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza.

Two of Ziyadne’s children, Bilal and Aisha, both in their late teens, were released during a temporary truce and exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November 2023.

But the father and his adult son, Hamza Ziyadne, about 22 at the time of his abduction, remained in captivity.

The Israeli military noted that the same operation that led to the discovery of Youssef Ziyadne’s body also revealed “findings” related to Hamza, “which raise serious concerns for his life.”

The announcement that a hostage had been found dead, and that the fate of another is uncertain, came as the families of captives and President-elect Donald Trump have been pressuring Israel and Hamas to close a deal that would lead to a ceasefire and the return of the remaining captives before Trump takes office later this month.

Of the 250 hostages taken Oct. 7, 2023, about 100 remain held in Gaza, with a third or more of those still there presumed dead.

In a briefing with reporters today, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said “dozens of hostages” are still alive but declined to give a specific number.

Addressing the discovery of Ziyadne, Shoshani said that bodies presumed to belong to his Hamas guards had also been found nearby, but he did not indicate how the hostage or the others had been killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused by some Israelis of failing to prioritize the return of the hostages, on Wednesday expressed “deep sorrow over the bitter news” for the Ziyadne family. He also pledged to “continue making every effort to secure the release of all hostages back home — both the living and the dead.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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