Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages occupied by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attack, which ignited the conflict in the Gaza Strip, including a Canadian citizen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were restored and a special operation was carried out by the Army and Shin Bet Internal Security Agency and returned to Israel.
“Along with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I express our heartfelt condolences to our dear family. Our hearts are painful for the most terrible loss. Blessed are their memories.”
Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border, announced in December 2023 that the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom have Israeli and U.S. nationalities. Weinstein is also a Canadian citizen.
Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed said in a social media statement that it was a “a painful time that puts the family in closure.”
“We won't rest until all the remaining 56 hostages come home,” Maud said.
Noah Shack, interim president of CIJA, Canada's Jewish advocacy group, said their hearts were with Weinstein and Hager's children and grandchildren.
“Judih embodies the best in Canada and Israel. She is an educator of children with special needs and passionate peacemakers, and she is committed to coexistence – a meditation professor of meditation for children in Palestinian and Israeli. She not only believes in peace; she lives in the media.”
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The military said the two were killed in the October 7 attack and were attacked by the jihadist brigade, and the military said the military also kidnapped and killed Shiri Bibas and her two children.
The Army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Hager from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday.
The couple took a walk near their home in Kibuznil Greenfield on the morning of October 7, when Hamas militants rushed into the border and crossed several army bases and agricultural communities.
In the early morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services to let them know that she and her husband were shot and sent a message to the family.
Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kibbutz said she also taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who have suffered anxiety due to the rocket fire in Gaza. Haggai is a retired chef and jazz musician.
“My beautiful parents have been released. We have certainty,” their daughter Iris Haggai Liniado wrote in a Facebook post. She thanked the Israeli military, the FBI and the Israeli government and the U.S. government and called for the release of all the remaining hostages.
Kibbutz said the couple had two sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
Nasser Hospital said at least 10 Palestinians died overnight during the Israeli strike. It is not clear whether the strike is related to the recovery mission.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, in Gaza, three local journalists were killed and six were injured. It does not immediately identify journalists or speak out their work.
The Israeli military said it was studying the report of the Al-Ahli strike. The Army said it targeted only militants and blamed it on civilian deaths in Hamas because it was embedded in densely populated areas.
In the October 7 attack, militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. After most people released the rest of the matter in a ceasefire agreement or other transactions, they still hold 56 hostages – about one-third of them. Israeli troops have rescued eight live hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's military campaign killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, who did not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive destroyed much of Gaza and displaced 90% of the population about 2 million Palestinians.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to release another ceasefire and hostages and have been blocked after Israel ended an earlier armistice in March, raising concerns about the famine despite being eased in recent weeks. But the negotiations seemed to be in a deadlock.
Hamas said it would only release the remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and Israeli evacuation from Canada. It has proposed to transfer power to the politically independent Palestinian Commission.
Netanyahu rejected the terms, saying Israel only agreed to a temporary ceasefire to facilitate the return of hostages. He vowed to continue the conflict until all hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and exiled.
He said Israel would control Gaza indefinitely and would promote what he refers to as voluntary immigration to other countries for the majority of its population. Palestinians and many in the international community have rejected such a plan, viewing it as a forced expulsion that may violate international law.
– Documents with the Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
