Jerusalem and London-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday morning that Israeli forces recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages in the hands of Hamas and returned them to Israel.
Judy Weinstein-Hagi, 70, and Gadi Hagi, 72, were a couple of Kibbutz Nir Oz near Gaza’s border. Both were American-Israeli dual citizens, and Judy also had Canadian citizenship.
Their bodies were recovered from the Khan Younis area of the Southern Gaza Strip in a special operation of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet, according to the statement published by Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said that the couple was killed during the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and their bodies kidnapped. The IDF had previously determined that they were killed on the day of Hamas’ surprise attack by the same terrorist group, Kitab al-Mujahidin, who kidnapped and killed Israeli hostages Shiri Bibas and their two young children.
The protesters set fire to the banners during an anti -government protest that asks for action to ensure the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 31, 2025.
Jack Guez/AFP through Getty Images
“We will not rest or remain silent until we return to all our kidnapped home: the living and the dead equally,” said Netanyahu.
Fifty -six hostages remain in Gaza, of which 20 are believed to be still alive, according to the figures provided by the Prime Minister’s office. Two Americans, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, are among the 36 hostages that are believed to be dead.
Morgan Winsor de ABC News contributed to this report.
