Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages, Judi Weinstein Haggai and her husband Gadi Haggai, who were killed during a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel last October.
The couple, both 70 and 72 years old respectively, were murdered by gunmen from the Mujahideen Brigades group when they attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their bodies were found in the Khan Younis area of Gaza overnight and brought back to Israel for forensic identification.
There are currently 56 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with at least 20 believed to be alive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of Judi and Gadi Haggai, calling it a “terrible loss”.
The couple’s families have welcomed the closure of their case and the return of their remains for burial in Israel. Judi was an English teacher, while Gadi worked in Kibbutz Nir Oz’s kitchen.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza almost 20 months ago, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,200 people and 251 hostages. Since then, 199 hostages have been returned, mostly through temporary ceasefire deals with Hamas.
A new ceasefire deal has been proposed by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which would include the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead ones in exchange for a 60-day truce. However, hopes of a new ceasefire deal have faded due to disagreements between Hamas and Israel over the conditions of the proposal.
Israel continues to seek the release of all remaining hostages, with Israeli forces carrying out operations to recover the bodies of those who have been killed. The country’s military has pledged to use all necessary methods to secure the return of its hostages.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c989rl23zzno