The Israeli military has confirmed the recovery of the bodies of Judi Weinstein Haggai, 70, and her husband Gadi Haggai, 72, dual Israeli-American citizens, who were taken hostage during the Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to the military, the couple, who were also associated with Canada through Judi’s citizenship, were killed by gunmen affiliated with the Mujahideen Brigades during an assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Their remains were located overnight in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and transported back to Israel for formal forensic identification.
The discovery reduces the number of individuals still held by Hamas in Gaza to 56, with at least 20 believed to be alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his sorrow in a statement, extending sympathies from himself and his wife to the grieving family.
“Our hearts grieve over this terrible loss. May their memories be blessed,” he said.
“I would like to thank, and express appreciation to, the fighters and commanders for this determined and successful operation. We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages – the living and the deceased.”
Family members recounted that the couple had left for a morning walk on the day of the attack and never returned.
“We welcome the closure and their return to a proper burial at home, in Israel,” the family said.
Judi, an English instructor, and Gadi, who once worked in the kibbutz kitchen, were last heard from via a video message shared with a group chat as the assault began.
The footage showed them sheltering in a field as rockets launched from Gaza flew overhead, accompanied by gunfire.
Judi subsequently messaged friends and relatives, reporting that both she and Gadi had been injured, but communication ceased shortly afterward.
Their daughter, Iris Weinstein Haggai, later revealed details shared by her mother during that brief contact.
“My mother had told her they had been ‘shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad’,” she said. “Paramedics tried to send her an ambulance. The ambulance got hit by a rocket.”
By December 2023, Kibbutz Nir Oz confirmed the couple had been killed and their bodies remained in Gaza.
On Wednesday, an IDF official said the recovery operation was carried out based on “precise intelligence” gathered by the Israel Defense Forces and the internal security agency Shin Bet.
Specifics of the mission remain classified due to operational sensitivity, but Israeli Army Radio suggested the intelligence came through the interrogation of a captured Palestinian fighter.
“We will keep doing the utmost for the mission of bringing our hostages back – the living, to reunite with their families, and the deceased to dignified burial. We will deploy all the methods and tools in our disposal for this goal,” said the military source.
In response to the recovery, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on authorities to push for a renewed ceasefire agreement that would facilitate the return of the remaining captives.
“There is no need to wait another 608 agonising days for this,” the forum urged. “The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want.”
The October 7, 2023 attack, described as the deadliest in Israel’s history, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 251 individuals into Gaza.
Among them were four previously held hostages, two of whom were already deceased.
Since the outbreak of conflict, 199 hostages have been returned, 148 alive, primarily through two brief ceasefire deals brokered with Hamas.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports that over 54,677 people have died during Israel’s ongoing offensive.
Israel had imposed a full blockade on March 2, resuming military operations two weeks later following the breakdown of a two-month truce during which 38 hostages, 33 Israelis and 5 Thais, were released.
On May 19, Israeli forces intensified operations, with Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing to gain full territorial control over Gaza.
In a limited easing of the blockade, Israel has since permitted food shipments into the territory amid warnings of impending famine.
The renewed military campaign has caused over 4,400 additional deaths in Gaza within the past three months and displaced around 640,000 people once again, as Israeli troops advanced and evacuation orders took effect.
Efforts to establish another truce remain stalled. A recent U.S.-backed proposal involved the release of 10 living hostages and 18 bodies by Hamas in return for a 60-day ceasefire and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas also demanded assurances for a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal, and unrestricted humanitarian aid access.
Israel rejected the proposal, labeling Hamas’s response as a refusal. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff echoed the sentiment, calling the offer “totally unacceptable.” However, a Hamas spokesperson insisted the group had responded “positively and responsibly.”
