Israel recovers bodies of Canadian Israeli Judih Weinstein and husband held by Hamas

Israel's military recovered the bodies of two hostages, Canadian Israeli Judih Weinstein and her husband, Israeli American Gadi Haggai, who were held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

The Israeli army said in a statement that the bodies of the husband and wife were recovered in a special operation from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip.

"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," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship, in December 2023. The Israeli military said they were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two
small children. 

Weinstein grew up in Canada and held Canadian and U.S. citizenship. She was born in New York state but moved to Toronto at the age of three, and then moved to Israel 20 years later to live with Haggai. She was a mother of four and a grandmother of seven.

56 hostages still held by Hamas

An Israeli group formed after Oct. 7, the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, expressed gratitude for the development in a statement.

The return "is painful and heartbreaking, yet it also brings healing to our uncertainty," the statement read. "Their return reminds us all that it is the state's duty to bring everyone home, so that we, the families, together with all the people of Israel, can begin the process of healing and recovery.

Weinstein was among several Canadian citizens killed in the Oct. 7 attacks.

In a statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney praised her as someone who "dedicated her life to guiding others with empathy, charity, and humanity."

"As the family grieves the unimaginable loss of both Ms. Weinstein and her husband, Gadi Haggai, who was murdered in that same horrific attack, the return of their remains is a time to begin to heal and to rest," said Carney. "We mourn with her family. May her memory be a blessing."

Carney called on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.

Israel believes there are still 56 hostages held by Hamas, with fewer than half believed to be alive.

The hostages' forum group cited that number in its statement, calling on the warring sides to facilitate their return.

"There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this. The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning," the group said.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Oct. 7 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.