The Israeli army retrieved the bodies of two hostages of both Israeli and American nationality in Gaza

The Israeli military found the bodies of two victims in Gaza and has brought them back to Israel.

AFP reported that the Israeli military and the State Security Agency (Sinbeit) issued a joint statement on Thursday (June 5) saying that Israel retrieved the bodies of two hostages of dual Israeli and American nationality during a night rescue operation in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, the two hostages were an elderly couple. The wife was named Judy Weinstein Haggai (70 years old) and the husband was named Gad Haggai (72 years old). The two have four children and seven grandchildren.

The statement said that Israel has brought the two elderly people back to the country so that their families can properly bury them.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed the news in a statement on the same day, saying that the two elderly people were killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and taken to the Gaza Strip.

According to official Israeli data statistics by AFP, the Hamas attack killed 1,218 people, most of whom were civilians. Israel then launched retaliatory attacks on the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli military strikes have so far killed 54,607 people, most of whom were civilians.

It is reported that Hamas kidnapped 251 hostages at that time. Currently, 55 people are still detained in Gaza. The Israeli military believes that 32 of them have died.