Israel says it has recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli-American hostages
from the Gaza Strip
[June 05, 2025]
By MELANIE LIDMAN, NATALIE MELZER and WAFAA SHURAFA
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has recovered the bodies of two
Israeli-American hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that
ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes overnight and into
Thursday meanwhile killed at least 13 people, including three local
journalists, according to health officials in the territory.
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 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.
Weinstein was also a Canadian citizen.
The military said they were killed in the Oct. 7 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. The
army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight
into Thursday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
A teacher who helped children and a chef who played jazz
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 and let them know that both she and her husband had been shot,
and send a message to her family.
Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with
special needs at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border.
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.
Reporters among 13 killed in Israeli strikes
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.
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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.
Over 180 journalists and media workers have been killed since the
start of the Israel-Hamas war, the vast majority of them in Gaza,
according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Israel has said many of those killed in its strikes were militants
posing as reporters.
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 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% of its population of roughly 2 million
Palestinians.
Ceasefire talks deadlocked
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 war 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.
___
Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah,
Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut
contributed.
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