‘A great joy’: Hundreds celebrate as former Gaza hostage Bilal Ziyadne gets married

Former Hamas hostage Bilal Ziyadne married in Rahat on Friday night, nearly three years after his release. Hundreds attended the wedding, according to Hebrew media reports. Ziyadne was kidnapped from Kibbutz Holit on October 7, 2023, and released with his sister Aisha in November 2023. His father and brother were later found dead in Gaza.

Former Hamas hostage Bilal Ziyadne got married in the southern city of Rahat on Friday night, almost exactly three years after he was released from captivity in the first hostage deal following the October 7, 2023, attack. The wedding was attended by hundreds, according to Hebrew media reports, which did not identify the bride. His brother Muhammad told the Maariv daily, 'A lot of people came to celebrate with us. Our sister got married about two months ago and it was a great joy.' Ziyadne was kidnapped from Kibbutz Holit on the morning of October 7, where he was working when Hamas terrorists invaded. He was one of four family members taken captive that day, along with his father Youssef, older brother Hamza, and younger sister Aisha. Other relatives were killed during the attack, and another relative saved dozens from the Nova music festival. Bilal and Aisha, aged 18 and 17 at the time, were released on November 30, 2023, as part of the first temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal brokered by Qatar and the United States. Shortly after his release, Bilal said that the Hamas terrorists kidnapped him and his family even though they knew they were Arabs. While Bilal and Aisha were released due to their age, their father and brother were not released and were later found dead in Gaza. The article also includes a subscription appeal for The Times of Israel Community.