Israel confirmed Thursday it has recovered the bodies of two hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.
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.
They will now be given a solemn and proper burial in Israel after being held for 609 days by Mujahideen Brigades terrorists.
“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, AP reports.
“We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our abductees home – the living and the dead alike.”
Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the murders of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, in December 2023.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Horror of the Hamas Terror Attack on Israeli Citizens
The couple’s families recalled how they “went out for a walk on the morning of that cursed Saturday and never returned.”
“We welcome the closure and their return to a proper burial at home, in Israel,” a statement said.
The military said the couple were brutally murdered in the Oct. 7 attack and their bodies were recently recovered from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
The couple are survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.
Hamas-led terrorists brutally murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted a further 251 hostages.
They are still holding 56 people, 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.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here