Israeli Special Op Recovers Bodies of Canadian Hostage and Husband Held by Hamas

In this undated photo released by Iris Weinstein Haggai, Judih Weinstein Haggai (L) and Gadi Hagi hold each other as they pose for a photo. The Canadian Press/AP-Iris Weinstein Haggai via AP

The Israeli military has recovered the bodies of a Canadian Israeli and an Israeli American who had been held hostage by Hamas for 608 days following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza.

The bodies of Canadian citizen Judih Weinstein and her husband Gad Haggai were recovered in the Gaza Strip and have been returned to Israel, following a special operation carried out by the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Defense Forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on June 5.

The couple both held Israeli and U.S. citizenship.

“Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families,” Netanyahu said in a social media post. “Our hearts grieve over this terrible loss. May their memories be blessed.”

In a statement on the recovery of Weinstein’s remains, Prime Minister Mark Carney called the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas the “deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

“Since October 7, Jewish communities have faced a reprehensible resurgence of antisemitism,” Carney said in a June 5 statement. “It has to stop. We cannot look away from the power of antisemitism and its radicalization – we must confront it, denounce it, and act to keep Jewish Canadians safe.”

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Interim President Noah Shack said the Canadian Jewish community has been hoping for the hostages to be released over the past 608 days, while noting 56 hostages still remain held in Gaza.

“Our hearts are with their children, grandchildren, and loved ones – who fought tirelessly for their return, from Parliament Hill to the public square,“ Shack said in a statement. “But our hearts won’t be whole until all 56 hostages still held in Gaza are brought home.”

The deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, were announced in December 2023 by the small community near the Gaza border where the couple lived, Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The kibbutz said that Weinstein, who grew up in Canada, taught English to children with special needs in the community and meditation to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety due to the rocket fire from Gaza.

The couple were on a walk near their home on the morning of the attack when they were shot and killed by Hamas terrorists who took their bodies to Gaza.

‘We Have Certainty’

Iris Haggai Liniado, the couple’s daughter, thanked the Israeli military, FBI, and the Israeli and U.S. governments in a Facebook post, calling for the release of all remaining hostages.

“My beautiful parents have been freed. We have certainty,” she said. The couple were survived by two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.

Israel’s military said it recovered the couple’s bodies overnight on June 4 into June 5 from Khan Younis, a southern Gaza city.

Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Approximately one third of the 56 hostages remaining in captivity are thought to still be alive.

Israel Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed said in a social media post that the return of the bodies of Weinstein and Haggai is “a painful moment that brings closure to the family.”

“We will not rest until all remaining 56 hostages are back home,” Moed said.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather also expressed his relief at the return of the couple’s bodies in a social media post.

“Iris Weinstein-Haggai has been a tremendous advocate & I am so glad the bodies of her parents, Judith (a Canadian)  & Gad have been returned to her family,” Housefather said. “But 56 other hostages remain in the hands of Hamas terrorists & all must be released to their families.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.