Bodies of American Hostages Retrieved by IDF in Gaza Operation

In a powerful overnight mission in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American citizens Judith Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai who were brutally murdered by Hamas-linked terrorists during the October 7, 2023 massacre.

The couple, both U.S. citizens and longtime residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, were taking a morning walk when Palestinian terrorists launched one of the most savage attacks on Israeli soil in recent history. The Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist group took their bodies and held them for over 600 days, adding their names to the growing list of hostages dishonored by the inhuman tactics of radical militants.

The IDF confirmed that the operation took place in Khan Yunis, where the bodies were located and identified with assistance from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Israeli Police, and the IDF’s Hostage Task Force.

“We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages the living and the deceased,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The Weinstein-Haggai family expressed bittersweet relief:

“We welcome the closure... However, our hearts will not be whole until all 12 hostages from Nir Oz and all 56 hostages in total are brought back.”

Judith and Gadi were far from combatants. She was a retired teacher, poet, and mindfulness instructor. He was a jazz musician and chef. Both in their seventies, they were beloved in their community and were simply enjoying a quiet life until terrorists shattered it.

• On October 7, they recorded a haunting video in a field as sirens blared.

• Judith called emergency services, reporting Gadi’s murder and her own injuries.

• The ambulance sent to save her was hit by a rocket.

Their ordeal is a chilling example of the savage nature of what occurred that day and of the monstrous cowardice of those who take the elderly as trophies of war.

Their story is one of thousands.

• Over 1000 civilians were murdered by Hamas and affiliated groups on October 7.

• About 100 hostages remain unaccounted for, including two other Americans 19-year-old Itay Chen and 22-year-old Omer Neutra.

• 25% of the Nir Oz population was killed or kidnapped that day.

Judith and Gadi’s love story began decades earlier when she heard him playing the flute on the kibbutz. The two were remembered by the community as joyful, selfless, and a source of light to everyone they knew.

“They complete each other,” Nir Oz said. “He’s a goofball... while Judy is an English teacher, taking care of children and sharing meditation.”

While the international media often fixates on sensationalist coverage of Gaza, this is the human cost of unchecked terror. These weren’t soldiers. They weren’t involved in politics. They were grandparents brutally killed, desecrated, and paraded as pawns.

Now, with President Trump backing Israel’s right to self-defense and cracking down on the forces that enable Hamas, the U.S. role has never been clearer. Unlike the weakness shown by Biden's administration, Trump has consistently supported Israel’s right to eliminate threats and retrieve its citizens no matter how long it takes.

There is no moral equivalence between the civilized world and terrorists who target grandparents with bullets and rockets. And there is no excuse for inaction when Americans are killed and held hostage overseas.

Share this story to honor Judith and Gadi and remind our leaders that appeasement never brings peace.

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