Israel on Thursday recovered the bodies of two hostages who were abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre that ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X that the remains of Gadi Haggai and Judy Weinstein-Haggai had been returned in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency.
“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts ache for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
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Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein and Haggai, both in their early 70s, in December 2023.
The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas militants burst across the border into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.
In the early hours of the morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services and let them know that both she and her husband had been shot and send a message to her family.
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The couple were survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.
The rescue operation was conducted by IDF troops in coordination with the Intelligence Directorate and special forces. The operation was made possible as a result of precise intelligence provided by the Hostage Task Force, the Intelligence Directorate, and the ISA.
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Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage Task Force, the family and the community of Nir Oz were notified.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called the couples’ return “pain and heartbreaking.”
“[Y]et it also brings healing to our uncertainty. Their return 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,” the Forum said.
We want to emphasize today—a grave is not a privilege. A grave is a basic human right, without which personal and national recovery is impossible.”
The Forum called upon leaders on both sides to reach an agreement to bring all 56 remaining hostages – “the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial.”
“There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this. The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want,” the Forum said. “We want to emphasize today—a grave is not a privilege. A grave is a basic human right, without which personal and national recovery is impossible.”
