Latest news with #GadHaggai
Scoop
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Recovery Of Judy Weinstein And Gad Haggai
Earlier today, Israeli forces recovered the remains of Judy Weinstein and Gad Haggai, two Americans who were kidnapped on October 7 and murdered by Hamas terrorists. My heart goes out to their family and to all families of hostages who remain separated from their loved ones. While this may bring a measure of closure to the Weinstein-Haggai family, it is a stark reminder of the enduring cruelty 56 families continue to face – including those of Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen – whose loved ones have been held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7. All hostages must be released immediately.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
IDF recovers body of Thai hostage
The Israeli military has recovered the body of a Thai national who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip. The remains of Nattapong Pinta were recovered in a special operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. Mr Pinta was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct 7 2023 attack on Israel, and he was killed in captivity shortly after being taken, the IDF said. He had been working as a farm labourer on the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, just a few miles east of Gaza's border, when he was abducted. The Thai national is the most recent hostage whose body has been found. On Thursday, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of US-Israeli dual citizens Judith Weinstein Haggai, 70, and Gad Haggai, 72, who were both residents of the same kibbutz where Mr Pinta worked. Israeli authorities have said they believe all three of the recently found hostages were murdered by the terrorists who kidnapped them. The attack that Hamas launched on Oct 7 surprised and devastated Israel, with the terrorist group killing more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of security personnel, and taking over 200 hostages. About 30 Thais were abducted that day. Roughly two-thirds of those kidnapped on Oct 7 were subsequently released as part of deals between Israel and Hamas. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the conflict, the Thai foreign affairs ministry has said. The war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Oct 7 attack, continues to rage on in Gaza. Attempts to broker a ceasefire and peace deal have repeatedly hit roadblocks. Hamas has rejected proposed deals that do not guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and an end to the war. Mr Pinta, 36, who is survived by a young son and wife, was among those taken after he'd migrated to Israel as an agricultural labourer in 2022. At the time of the Oct 7 attack, there were about 30,000 Thai migrant workers in Israel. Many of them returned home primarily via government evacuation flights, and some vowed never to return, given the risks they faced due to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Since then, however, the Thai government has continued to grant permissions for its citizens to work in Israel. Thais remain the largest group of foreign farm workers in Israel, with about 38,000 in the country, according to Thai officials. There are 55 hostages remaining in Gaza, though only about 20 of them are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities. Israel said its expanded offensive in the Strip, named Operation Gideon's Chariot, will increase the chances of returning the missing. However, many of the hostages' families have expressed alarm at the new tactic of seizing and holding territory, which follows heavy bombardment, and are urging Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas. The Thai Embassy has been notified about Mr Pinta, according to the prime minister's office. 'We express our deep gratitude and appreciation to our brave commanders and soldiers for this important and successful operation,' said a statement from Netanyahu's office. 'We will not rest and we will not be silent until all our hostages are brought home – both the living and the deceased.' 'We stand with Nattapong's family today and share in their grief,' an Israeli hostage support group said in a statement. 'While the pain is immense, his family will finally have certainty after 20 terrible and agonising months of devastating uncertainty,' the statement said. 'Every family deserves such certainty to begin their personal healing journey.'
Dubai Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Israeli military recovers bodies of two hostages held by Hamas
Israel's military recovered the bodies of two hostages, Judi Weinstein-Haggai and Gad Haggai, who were held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. The Israeli army said in a statement that the bodies of the husband and wife were recovered in a special operation from Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip. Following the recovery of two bodies, 56 hostages are still held by Hamas, with fewer than half believed to be alive, according to Israeli estimates. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Israel PM says bodies of 2 hostages retrieved from Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the bodies were being 'held by the murderous terrorist organisation Hamas'. (AP pic) JERUSALEM : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that the bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed in Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack and held in Gaza had been returned to Israel. 'In a special operation by the (security agency) and the (military) in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held by the murderous terrorist organisation Hamas were returned to Israel: Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai from Kibbutz Nir Oz, may their memory be blessed,' Netanyahu said in a statement. 'Judy and Gad were murdered on October 7 and abducted to the Gaza Strip.' A joint statement from the army and the Shin Bet security agency said that the bodies were recovered from the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation. 'The rescue operation was conducted by… troops in coordination with the intelligence directorate and special forces,' it added. The spokesman for the kibbutz in southern Israel where the elderly couple lived said in a statement that 'after more than 600 days of pain and waiting, the bodies of Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein Haggai were brought back home to the State of Israel and to Nir Oz last night in a military operation'. The kibbutz said Gad Haggai was 72 at the time of the October 2023 attack and Judy Weinstein Haggai was 70. Gad, a music lover and talented cook, and Judy, a former English teacher, have four children and seven grandchildren, according to the kibbutz. 'We welcome the closure of the circle and their return for a proper burial at home, in Israel,' the family was quoted as saying in the statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz. 'We want to thank the (military) and security forces involved in the complex rescue operation and for fighting for us for over a year and a half, and to everyone who supported, fought, prayed and struggled for us and for the entire people of Israel,' they added. Israel has recently stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a bid to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's attack, 55 remain in captivity, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Epoch Times
Bodies of 2 Israeli American Hostages Recovered: Israel Military
Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli American hostages, Judi Lynn Weinstein and Gad Haggai, in the Khan Younis area of the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday. Weinstein, 70, and her 72-year-old husband—who was also a Canadian citizen—were among 31 people abducted from the Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel during the attacks by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
