Overview
- Israeli military and Shin Bet agents located and returned the remains of Judi Lynn Weinstein-Haggai, 70, and Gad Haggai, 72, in a special operation in Khan Younis on June 5.
- Both were killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz and their deaths were confirmed by family announcements in December 2023.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press on with military and diplomatic efforts until all remaining hostages—an estimated 56—are freed, alive or dead.
- The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum called on Israel to secure a ceasefire to facilitate the return of the surviving captives.
- More than 54,000 Palestinians have died and most of Gaza’s population is displaced, fueling international demands for humanitarian aid and renewed truce negotiations.