October 7 · Personal story
Yosef Hamis Alziadana
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Holit
Current outcome
Returned for burial · January 7, 2025
His body was recovered from a tunnel in Rafah and returned to Israel on 7 January 2025; the IDF announced that he had been killed in captivity on 8 January.
01
Life before
Yosef had worked at the dairy farm at Kibbutz Holit for 17 years. His brother Ali said he loved agriculture, was a peacemaker in the family and was the person relatives gathered around. Yosef had two wives and 19 children, according to his nephew and son-in-law Raed. Ali also recalled his elegant dress and love of life: Yosef took care over how he dressed, even on ordinary days.
02
The abduction
On 7 October 2023, Yosef was at work in Holit with his sons Hamza and Bilal; his daughter Aisha joined them. After alarms sounded, the family ran to shelter. Attackers seized the family and two Thai workers from the cowshed and led them toward the Gaza border.
03
Captivity
In an interview after her release, Aisha recalled that Yosef told his children stories from the Quran and from his life while they were held together. She said that during those weeks she learned more about her father than in her whole life. The family later learned that he had been killed in captivity.
04
Recovery and return
The IDF and Shin Bet recovered Yosef’s body from a tunnel in Rafah on 7 January 2025 and returned it to Israel. The agency announcement was published on 8 January and stated that he had been abducted on 7 October and killed in captivity.
05
After the return
Former hostage Farhan al-Qadi, who described Yosef as his neighbor and childhood friend, said his household was crying and had hoped to see Yosef and Hamza alive. The IDF had notified Yosef’s family after forensic identification by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and police.