Israeli Arab Bedouins Plead for Release as Hamas Holds Them Hostage, Unconnected to Conflict

The family of two Israeli Arab Bedouins held hostage by Hamas in Gaza has made a plea for their release, emphasizing that they have no connection to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group. Noaf al-Zayadna, a relative of the captives, spoke out during a visit to Paris facilitated by the Israeli embassy, stating, "I urge all who can to help free my brother Youssef and my nephew Hamza because they are sick and have nothing to do with this." Hamas launched an attack against Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the taking of about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel initiated a military offensive that has resulted in the deaths of at least 18,787 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Palestinian territory. Among the hostages still believed to be held in Gaza are at least three Israeli Arab Bedouins, members of a small traditionally nomadic minority whose Palestinian ancestors remained on their land after Israel's establishment in 1948. Youssef al-Zayadna, a 53-year-old father of 19, and his 22-year-old son Hamza, who has two children, remain captive, while his younger son Bilal, 18, and daughter Aisha, 17, were released on November 30 as part of a one-week truce between Israel and Hamas.

The truce allowed for the return of 105 hostages from the Gaza Strip in exchange for 240 Palestinians jailed by Israel. Noaf al-Zayadna, who spoke at the European Judaism Centre in Paris, revealed that his brother Youssef has diabetes and high blood pressure, while his nephew Hamza suffers from frequent headaches. He called on Hamas to release his brother and nephew, stating, "You are sick and your son is sick. Go get treatment instead of dying here with us." Another Bedouin named Samer El-Talalqa, 22, is also still being held hostage after being abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Bilal and Aisha, upon their release after nearly two months in captivity, expressed physical exhaustion. Bilal described the conditions they were held in, saying, "They took us blindfolded and led us into a house then underground and they closed us off. I didn't know what was outside." It is estimated that tens of thousands of Bedouins live under the constant threat of home demolitions in unrecognized villages in the Negev, according to Human Rights Watch.

More than 70,000 Bedouins reside in the Israeli-established Bedouin township of Rahat, which has the lowest socio-economic ranking of localities in Israel, according to the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality. Another Bedouin man with psycho-social disabilities named Hisham al-Sayed has been held in Gaza since voluntarily entering the Palestinian territory in 2015. The family is hopeful that Youssef and Hamza, as well as other hostages, will be released in the near future, expressing their desire to reunite with their loved ones who are caught in the midst of a conflict they have no part in.