The bodies of two hostages, abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that initiated the Gaza Strip conflict, were recovered on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on X that Gadi Haggai and Judy Weinstein-Haggai’s remains were recovered in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet security agency.

“Together with all Israelis, my wife and I offer our deepest condolences to the families. We are heartbroken by this terrible loss. May their memory be a blessing,” Netanyahu stated.

Kibbutz Nir Oz had announced the deaths of Weinstein and Haggai, both in their early 70s, in December 2023.

On the morning of Oct. 7, Hamas militants crossed into Israel near Kibbutz Nir Oz, where the couple was taking a walk. The attack resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 251 abductions.

Weinstein contacted emergency services early that morning, reporting that she and her husband had been shot, and she also sent a message to her family.

The couple is survived by two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren, according to the kibbutz.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted the rescue operation in conjunction with the Intelligence Directorate and special forces, enabled by intelligence from the Hostage Task Force, the Intelligence Directorate, and the ISA.

After the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage Task Force completed an identification process, the family and the Nir Oz community were informed.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described the couple’s return as “painful and heartbreaking.”

“Yet, it also eases our uncertainty. Their return is a reminder that the state has a duty to bring everyone home, so that the families, along with all Israelis, can begin to heal and recover,” the Forum said.

We want to emphasize today—a grave is not a privilege. A grave is a basic human right, without which personal and national recovery is impossible.”

The Forum urged leaders to reach an agreement to secure the return of the 56 remaining hostages – “the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial.”

“There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this. The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want,” the Forum said. “We want to emphasize today—a grave is not a privilege. A grave is a basic human right, without which personal and national recovery is impossible.”

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