Watan-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that the Israeli army has recovered the bodies of two hostages previously held by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
He identified the victims as Judy Weinstein Hagai and Gadi Hagai, both residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
“In a special operation carried out by the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency) and the army in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization were brought back to Israel: Judy Weinstein-Hagai and Gadi Hagai of Kibbutz Nir Oz,” Netanyahu said in an official statement.
He added that both were killed on October 7 and taken into Gaza during Hamas’s attack.
According to a statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz, the couple—parents of seven children and grandparents of seven—were murdered and abducted on October 7 in fields near their home close to the Gaza border.
Breaking: After more than 600 days, the IDF has brought home the bodies of Judith Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, murdered and kidnapped from Nir Oz on October 7. “Our hearts will not be whole until all hostages return,” the family said. #BringThemHome #NirOz pic.twitter.com/axRpIwpFA1
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) June 5, 2025
Context of the War:
The Gaza war began on October 7, following Hamas’s unprecedented attack inside Israel, which killed 1,218 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli official figures compiled by AFP.
Out of 251 individuals taken hostage during the attack, 57 remain in captivity in Gaza, with the Israeli military confirming at least 34 of them are dead.
A fragile two-month ceasefire collapsed on March 18, and Israel ramped up military operations across Gaza on May 17, reaffirming its objectives to free remaining hostages, gain full control over Gaza, and eliminate Hamas.
Since the start of the war, the Palestinian death toll has reached 54,607, according to the Gaza Health Ministry run by Hamas.
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