(PatriotWise.com) — The 70-year-old US citizen believed to be one of the remaining hostages still held in Gaza was in fact among those killed during the October 7 attack, CBS News reported.
According to a statement from the Kibbutz Nir Oz, Judy Weinstein Haggai, an Israeli with US and Canadian citizenship, along with her husband Gadi Haggai, 72, were among those who came under attack at the kibbutz on October 7. Both Judy and Gadi were believed to have survived the attack and were taken into Gaza by Hamas.
Israel officials confirmed on December 22 that Gadi, a dual US and Israeli citizen, had been killed in the attack, and his body was being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Initially, it was believed that Judy was among the hostages remaining in Gaza, but a spokesperson for the Kibbutz Nir Oz, where the couple lived, confirmed last Thursday that Judy was also “fatally wounded” during the October 7 attack and that her body was also being kept in Gaza.
According to the kibbutz, Judy Weinstein Haggai had four children and seven grandchildren. She was a special needs teacher, a poet, and an entrepreneur who “pursued many initiatives to advance peace in the region.”
Judy and Gadi had been taking their usual morning walk on Saturday, October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked the Kibbutz Nir Oz. Judy was able to contact emergency services to say that she and her husband had been shot and then sent a message to their family, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden said he had been “devastated” by the news of Judy’s death, coming so closely after the news that her husband Gadi was also dead.
Judy Weinstein Haggai’s family lives in New York.
In a tweet last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed sorrow over the news that she had been killed in the October 7 attack and expressed her hope that the remaining hostages held in Gaza would be returned safely home.
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