Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of two hostages in Dual Israeli US Citizenship, Judith Weinstein Hagai and Gadihagai, a married couple who have been detained by Hamas in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023.
Israeli military and Singh Bett, Israeli domestic security agency, have recovered the bodies of 70-year-old Weinstein Hagai and 72-year-old Gadi Hagai through special operations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday morning.
According to NBC News, the Kibbutz Nir Oz couple was killed in a Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and holding 251 hostages.
Since then, more than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s subsequent military attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Although the status of Weinstein Haggai and Haggai was initially unknown in the aftermath of the attack, President Joe Biden announced in December 2023 that it was revealed that Weinstein Haggai was killed along with Haggai on October 7th.
“Our hearts are aching in the most horrifying losses. May their memories be blessed,” Netanyahu said after the bodies of Weinstein Haggai and her husband were recovered.
“We will not rest or be silent until we bring everything to our aidutees home. It is both the living and the dead,” he added.
Weinstein Haggai and her husband were among four Israeli-Americans who are believed to be Hamas Chen, 19, and Omer Nutra, 21, in Gaza.
Edan Alexander, who was believed to be the last US citizen to live in Gaza, was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, before being released on May 12.
In a statement Thursday, the Hostage and Missing Family Forum, which represents hostage families in Gaza, said that the return of Weinstein Hagai and her husband’s ruins “represents the deadline and fulfillment of the basic national obligations to them, for the proper burial of their beloved homeland.”
They repeated it as the Israeli government did everything with its power to return the remaining 50 or more hostages who remained in custody in Gaza, who are alive and dead.
So far, efforts to negotiate a new ceasefire contract have not been able to produce results after the final one fell apart in March.
This story first appeared on nbcnews.com. More from NBC News:
Source link
