Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the conflict in the Gaza Strip, including one Canadian citizen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel 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,” he said in a media statement.
Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border, announced in December 2023 the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship. Weinstein was also a Canadian citizen.
Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, said in a social media statement that this is a “painful moment that brings closure to the family.”
“We will not rest until all remaining 56 hostage are back home,” Moed said.
Noah Shack, interim president of the Canadian Jewish advocacy organization CIJA, said their hearts are with Weinstein and Haggai’s children and grandchildren.
“Judih embodied the very best of Canada and Israel. An educator for children with special needs and a passionate peacebuilder, she dedicated her life to coexistence — teaching meditation to both Palestinian and Israeli children. She didn’t just believe in peace; she lived it,” Shack said in a media statement.
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The military said the two were killed in the Oct. 7 attack and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group the military said also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children.
The army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight into Thursday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border and rampaged through several army bases and farming communities.
In the early hours of the morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services to let them know that both she and her husband had been shot, and to send a message to her family.
Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with special needs at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The kibbutz said she also taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety as a result of rocket fire from Gaza. Haggai was a retired chef and jazz musician.
“My beautiful parents have been freed. We have certainty,” their daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, wrote in a Facebook post. She thanked the Israeli military, the FBI and the Israeli and U.S. governments and called for the release of all the remaining hostages.
The couple were survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.
At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis overnight, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. It was not immediately clear if the strikes were related to the recovery mission.
In Gaza City, three local reporters were killed and six people were wounded in a strike on the courtyard of the al-Ahli Hospital, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not immediately identify the journalists or say which outlets they worked for.
The Israeli military said it was looking into reports on the strike at al-Ahli. The army says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it is embedded in populated areas.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 56 hostages — around a third of them believed to be alive — after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90 per cent of its population of roughly two million Palestinians.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker another ceasefire and hostage release after Israel ended an earlier truce in March and imposed a blockade that has raised fears of famine, despite being eased in recent weeks. But the talks appear to be deadlocked.
Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee.
Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the conflict until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
He has said Israel will maintain control over Gaza indefinitely and will facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and much of the international community have rejected such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law.
— With files from The Associated Press
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