Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) announced in a joint statement on Thursday morning that they had located and recovered the bodies of hostages Gadi Haggai (72) and Judith Weinstein-Haggai (70) from within the Gaza Strip. The bodies were found in the Khan Younis area.
The couple, who were dual American-Israeli citizens and residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, were brutally murdered and their bodies taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led attack that left 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals dead and resulted in the abduction of 251 people to Gaza.
The couple was killed by the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization, which is also responsible for the deaths of the Bibas family.
According to the IDF, the recovery operation was “a result of precise intelligence provided by the Hostage Task Force, the Intelligence Directorate, and the ISA.”
The bodies were formally identified by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Once identification was confirmed, Israeli police were notified and subsequently informed the families and the community of Nir Oz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing his condolences:
“Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts grieve over this terrible loss. May their memories be blessed. 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."
Additionally, Israeli President Isaac Herzog posted a message on X conveying his condolences to the family and gratitude for the recovery efforts of the IDF and ISA.
"The retrieval and return of the bodies of two hostages cruelly held by Hamas — Israeli-American citizens, Judith Weinstein-Haggai and her husband Gad Haggai — is a moment of deep pain, but also one of solace and the resolution of uncertainty. Judith and Gad were murdered and abducted together from their home in the peace-loving Kibbutz Nir Oz — the place where they lived, raised a large family, and built their lives. Now, thanks to the rescue operation, they will be laid to rest together in dignity, in the land they so deeply loved," Herzog wrote.
"I send my heartfelt embrace and condolences to their family and to all the members of the Nir Oz community, and I express deep appreciation to the IDF and Shin Bet forces who carried out the rescue. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring our sisters and brothers back from hell — the living, for healing and rehabilitation, and the fallen, to be laid to rest in dignity. Every last one of them!"
This article was originally published by All Israel News.
