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Israel’s military said it recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
The bodies of Judi Lynn Weinstein and Gad Haggai, who were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, were identified by Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Mr Weinstein was 70 and Ms Haggai 72 at the time of their deaths. They had four children, the military said.
An Israeli security official told The Times of Israel that intelligence gathered from a Shin Bet interrogation of a Gaza detainee led to the discovery of the bodies. Israel has detained thousands of people from Gaza in the continuing war triggered by the Hamas attack, and has faced widespread criticism for its detention practices.
The military said the couple were captured by members of the “Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organisation”. The relatively small group is reported to also be behind the kidnapping of the deceased Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, among the most famous of the hostages in Israel.
A forum representing the families of most Israeli hostages said the discovery of the bodies on Thursday “represents the closing of a circle and the fulfilment of the state's fundamental obligation to them”.
“Decision-makers must do everything necessary to reach an agreement that will return all 56 remaining hostages – the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial,” it added.
The forum has been part of a major protest movement calling for the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hostage families have been issuing increasingly desperate calls for an exchange deal since Israel broke the last one in March. There are fears that Israel’s expanded fighting in the strip will endanger the lives of captives and make a new deal harder to reach.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his far-right coalition maintain that military pressure is the best way to release captives, something that most hostages' families reject.
Of the approximately 250 hostages taken during the Hamas attack, most of those who have been returned were handed over as part of ceasefire deals involving the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. About 100 living hostages were freed during a brief ceasefire in November 2023, and another 30 during a truce that began on January 19 this year but collapsed when Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18. Fewer than 10 have been rescued alive by the Israeli military.
Of the 56 remaining hostages still believed to be held in Gaza, all but one were captured on October 7, 2023. Of those, 33 are confirmed dead by the military, with 20 thought to be alive. The condition of the remaining three is not known, but officials say they have grave concerns for them.
