Latest news from the Middle East: the body of 23-year-old Hamzah AlZayadni was found in Gaza

The Israeli army confirmed on Friday that one of the bodies recovered earlier this week in Gaza was 23-year-old hostage Hamzah AlZayadni.

His body was found along with that of his father, Josef Al Zayadniwho were gathered when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel 15 months ago. The father was quickly identified and the son’s remains were sent for verification.

In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas they seemed to be one step closer to the ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages. Palestinians and family members of hostages killed in captivity are begging the Israeli government and world leaders for a ceasefire.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the attacks killed 46,006 Palestinians and injured 109,378. Israel-Hamas warwithout end. They say women and children there were more than half of the fatalities but it does not say how many of those killed were combatants or civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it claims the fighters operate in residential areas. Israeli air and ground operations have pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians there extensive tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.

The war began when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel October 7, 2023killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250. One third of them 100 hostages are still held in Gaza they are believed to be dead.

Here are the latest:

ISTANBUL – Türkiye “does not have any secret agenda” in Syria and wants to build a “new culture of cooperation,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday.

One of Turkey’s priorities for the coming year is to rid the region of terrorism, Fidan said, referring to Kurdish fighters based in northeastern Syria. “The expansion of the separatist group in Syria now threatens destruction, and the old order will no longer continue,” he told a news conference in Istanbul.

Fidan also criticized US support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as the US seeks to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.

“It kills the spirit of alliance and solidarity,” Fidan said. He said Türkiye “will not hesitate to take the necessary steps” in terms of military action.

Türkiye sees the SDF as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and other countries.

Referring to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s statement about the need for US troops to remain in Syria, Fidan rejected the position of the outgoing US administration. “This is the problem of the new government, and the old one has nothing to say on this matter,” he said.

The SDF is currently engaged in fighting the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.

Fidan also supported suggestions that Syrian Kurds join the new national army, but said all non-Syrians fighting for the SDF – a reference to those linked to the PKK – should leave the country.

NICOSIA, Cyprus – The president of Cyprus says he will be the first head of state to meet the newly elected president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun.

President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters on Friday that he would meet Aoun when he left for Lebanon around noon on Friday.

Christodoulides said he knew Aoun “well” from his time as head of the Lebanese armed forces.

He said the meeting showed the role that Cyprus, as the European Union member closest to the Middle East, could play in helping “to address the challenges that have arisen in the region.”

In a written statement, Cypriot government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said Christodoulides would also discuss Lebanon’s internal issues with Aoun and convey that Cyprus was ready to provide all needed assistance and strengthen relations with its neighbor.

Cyprus is located less than 200 kilometers (130 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and has provided the country with military aid to support its armed forces.

JERUSALEM – The Israeli army confirmed Friday that one of the bodies recovered in Gaza earlier this week was that of 23-year-old hostage Hamzah AlZayadni.

On Friday, the army said the identification was made by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and Israeli police, and the family had been notified. The army said its forces recovered the bodies of Hamzah and his father from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area and returned them to Israel.

His father, Josef Al Zayadniwas identified earlier this week. Before this week’s announcement, it was believed that father and son were still alive. They were kidnapped together from Kibbutz Holit when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

The news comes as Israel and Hamas consider a ceasefire agreement that would free the remaining hostages and halt fighting in Gaza. Israel says about a third of the remaining 100 hostages have died, but believes up to half may have died. Their fate could increase pressure on Israel to make progress on an agreement.

The Hostage Families Forum, which represents hostage families, said Hamzah was a nature lover who had a deep affection for animals and was adored by his friends. He left behind a wife and two children.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A tanker that burned for weeks and was threatening to spill massive oil into the Red Sea has been saved, a security company said Friday.

The Sounion was an expected disaster in the waterway as its 1 million barrels of crude oil were hit and then sabotaged with explosives by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. It took months for rescuers to tow the ship, extinguish the fires and unload the remaining oil.

The Houthis initially attacked the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion on August 21 with small arms fire, missiles and an unmanned boat. The French destroyer rescued the crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, and took them to nearby Djibouti.

The Houthis later released the footage they planted explosives on board the Sounion and set them on fire in a propaganda film, something the rebels had done before.

Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked approximately 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones. The rebels maintain that they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict.