IDF Recovers Bodies of 2 American Hostages in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of two Israeli-Americans murdered by terrorists in an overnight mission in Gaza on Thursday.

Judith Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz while taking a morning walk on October 7, 2023, when terrorists began their massacre of Israeli civilians. The Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization took the elderly couple’s bodies and held them hostage for over 600 days.

According to the IDF, the Haggais’ bodies were located and recovered from the area of Khan Yunis and underwent an identification procedure by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israeli Police, and the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage Task Force.

“Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages — the living and the deceased.”

The return of the Haggais’ bodies brings the total number of hostages remaining in Gaza to 56. The bodies of two Americans remain hostage in Gaza: 19-year-old Itay Chen and 22-year-old Omer Neutra.

“We welcome the closure that we have been granted and the return for burial of our loved ones, who went out for a walk on that Black Sabbath morning and never came back,” the Weinstein-Haggai family said in a statement. “However, our hearts will not be whole until all 12 hostages from Nir Oz and all 56 hostages in total are brought back.”

On the morning of the attack, the couple recorded a 40-second video of themselves taking shelter in a field as an alert system played a recorded warning, and shared it in a group chat.

“What did she say?” Weinstein asked, The Times of Israel reported.

“Red alert,” Gadi responded.

Judith later called the emergency medical services, telling the dispatcher that her husband was “hit in the face” and killed.

“His face, parts of his brains are out of his — everything is covered with blood,” Judith said, adding that her husband was shot by terrorists and that she was sheltering under a tree in an unsafe place. Judith said she was also injured in the face and hand.

The ambulance dispatched to assist Judith was hit by a rocket, according to her daughter, Iris Weinstein-Haggai.

About a quarter of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s 400 residents were murdered or taken hostage by terrorists on October 7.

Judith, 70, was a poet, retired teacher, and New York native who also held Canadian citizenship. Gadi, 72, was a retired chef and jazz musician. The couple is survived by four children and seven grandchildren.

A statement from the kibbutz described Judith and Gadi as the “power couple of Kibbutz Nir Oz” who fell in love when Judith heard Gadi playing the flute.

“They complete each other: he’s a goofball, just like a little kid, always dancing and laughing, while Judy is an English teacher, taking care of children, and sharing meditation and mindfulness techniques,” Kibbutz Nir Oz said.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters welcomed the return of the bodies of Judith and Gadi, saying that it “reminds us all that it is the state’s duty to bring everyone home, so that we, the families, together with all the people of Israel, can begin the process of healing and recovery.”