Latest news with #Israeli-Americans
Saudi Gazette
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Israeli military recovers two hostages' bodies in southern Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of two Israeli-Americans taken back to Gaza as hostages during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military says. Judi Weinstein Haggai, 70, who was also a Canadian citizen, and her husband Gadi Haggai, 72, were murdered by gunmen from the Mujahideen Brigades group when they attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz, a statement said. Their bodies were found in the southern Khan Younis area of Gaza overnight and brought back to Israel for forensic identification. There are now 56 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife sent their condolences to the families of Judi and Gadi Haggai. "Our hearts grieve over this terrible loss. May their memories be blessed," he added."I would like to thank, and express appreciation to, the fighters and commanders for this determined and successful operation. We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages — the living and the deceased."The couple's families recalled how they "went out for a walk on the morning of that cursed Saturday and never returned"."We welcome the closure and their return to a proper burial at home, in Israel," they an English teacher, and Gadi Haggai, who used to work in Kibbutz Nir Oz's kitchen, were last seen alive in a video they shared with a group chat at the start of the 7 October attack. They were seen taking cover in a field as incoming rockets fired from Gaza streaked overhead and the sound of gunfire was later told friends and relatives they had been wounded, before ceasing couple's daughter Iris Weinstein Haggai said after the attack her mother had told her they had been "shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad". She added: "Paramedics tried to send her an ambulance. The ambulance got hit by a rocket."In December 2023, the kibbutz announced that both Judi and Gadi were killed that day and their bodies were being held hostage in Wednesday, an Israeli military official said the couple's bodies were recovered from the Khan Younis area following an operation based on "precise intelligence" from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security said they could not disclose further details due to the sensitivity of the operation. However, Israeli Army Radio reported the intelligence was obtained through the Shin Bet's interrogation of a Palestinian fighter captured by Israeli troops in Gaza."We will keep doing the utmost for the mission of bringing our hostages back - the living, to reunite with their families, and the deceased to dignified burial. We will deploy all the methods and tools in our disposal for this goal," the military official Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged decision-makers to do everything they could to agree a new ceasefire deal with Hamas to secure the return of all the remaining hostages."There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this," it said. "The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want."US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was "united in prayer" for the Haggai family."Hamas must release all remaining hostages, including Omer Neutra and Itay Chen," he added, referring to two other Israeli-Americans who the Israeli military says were killed on 7 October while serving as soldiers and whose bodies were taken back to Prime Minister Mark Carney said: "The return of their remains is a time to begin to heal and to rest. We mourn with [Judi Haggai's] family. May her memory be a blessing."Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack almost 20 months ago, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken four people, two of them dead, were already being held captive in Gaza before the far, 199 hostages have been returned, 148 of them alive, mostly through two temporary ceasefire deals with least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health imposed a total blockade on Gaza on 2 March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month truce during which 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai hostages were freed. Israel said it wanted to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining 19 May, the Israeli military launched an expanded offensive that Netanyahu said would see troops "take control of all areas" of Gaza. Israel also partially eased its blockade, allowing some food into the territory amid warnings from experts of a looming than 4,400 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza over the past three months, while 640,000 others have been displaced again by Israeli ground operations and evacuation of a new ceasefire deal faded last week, with Hamas and Israel remaining at odds over the conditions of the latest US said it was prepared to release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead ones, which was the number specified in US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal, in exchange for a 60-day truce and the release of Palestinian the group also repeated its demands for guarantees that the truce would lead to a permanent ceasefire, as well as a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the resumption of unrestricted aid called Hamas's statement a refusal of the proposal, and Witkoff said it was totally unacceptable. But a Hamas official insisted it had acted positively and responsibly. — BBC
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First Post
05-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Israel recovers bodies of couple killed in October 7 attack from Gaza, says Netanyahu
Netanyahu said that the bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack have been recovered from Gaza and returned to Israel. read more Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is under tremendous pressure with a motion to dissolve the Knesset fast approaching and a key coalition partner threatening to switch sides on it. AFP Photo Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack had been recovered from Gaza and returned to Israel. 'In a special operation by the [security agency] and the military in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held by the murderous terrorist organisation Hamas were returned to Israel: Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai from Kibbutz Nir Oz, may their memory be blessed,' Netanyahu said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Judy and Gad were murdered on October 7 and abducted to the Gaza Strip.' The Israeli army and Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that the bodies of two Israeli-Americans were recovered overnight from the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza. The operation was carried out with the help of special forces and intelligence teams, the statement added. The elderly couple, Gad Haggai (72) and Judy Weinstein Haggai (70), lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. A spokesperson for the kibbutz said their bodies were returned home after 'more than 600 days of pain and waiting.' Gad was known for his love of music and cooking, while Judy was a former English teacher. They had four children and seven grandchildren. 'We welcome their return for a proper burial in Israel,' the family said, thanking the military and all those who supported them. October 7 attack and Israeli campaign Israel recently intensified its military operations in Gaza, aiming to defeat Hamas after its October 2023 attack that killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, at least 4,335 people have died since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, bringing the total death toll to over 54,600, mostly civilians. Out of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas during the October attack, 55 are still held—32 of them believed to be dead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
NZ Herald
05-06-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Bodies of two Israeli-American hostages retrieved from Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack and held in Gaza have been returned to Israel. 'In a special operation by the [security agency] and the [military] in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Hochul jokes congestion pricing might not work— after NYC traffic made her late for dinner
They're hitting the city limits Out of the mouths: Kathy Hochul — always on the dot punctual, and meeting a friend for dinner — arrived 20 minutes late. 'Traffic was terrible,' she said. Then: 'Maybe this congestion thing isn't working!' For over 40 years the owner of big-time restaurant Primola has served everyone — Ivana, Ivanka, Marla, Donald 'who always came a few minutes late.' East Side owner says, 'If ever I actually write a book, I'd have to leave the country.' Realtor: High cost of everything causing problems, union carpenters, congestion and bridge tolls, 'besides that there's also kids, 12 years old, in Times Square robbing people.' Taxi driver: 'When passengers pay in cash I now don't have to report it.' Driven to drink Wait. More taxi driver misery. Marilu Henner and Tony Danza couldn't find a taxi. They were damp. It was the rained-on West Wide. Ubers were backed up. Cabs no place. Understand, these were the former TV 'Taxi' stars. So, in good Big Apple style, they sloshed over for drinks at dry Manny's Bistro. Big cheers for Jersey boy Lufthansa lounge before a flight to Copenhagen. Newark Airport. TSA staff snarling. Hasidim speaking Yiddish. Passengers said that this week downtown Tenafly had 10 million Israeli-Americans and assorted persons of Jewish persuasion celebrating 21-year-old Edan Alexander's release from hostagehood. High value asset We now speak bargains. You can go from bland to Bond for $26.5 mil. Sean Connery's South of France shack is for sale. Stuck above the Mediterranean in Nice. Art Deco estate called 'Bond Villa' by locals. Riviera glamour, panoramic sea views, indoor infinity pool, dining room equipped with ejector seats for gabby guests in case the pot roast's lousy. Rule of all? Europe is at a critical point. America's shield is rusting. China's prepping to invade Taiwan. Took only one month, three weeks, two days to bring down the Weimar Republic and its constitution. Putin's goal? A redo of Yalta, where half the continent was ceded to Stalin. The south awaits the current conflict outcome to decide whether or not to act further — whether to trample on it. He wants the order put in place by the USA and its allies. First principle being the prohibition of acquiring territory by force. E pluribus unum. Somewhere I read that it's all for one — and one for all. Only not in New York or anyplace else.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Who is Edan Alexander? What to know about the US-Israeli hostage after release
The last living Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza crossed into Israel on Monday, May 12, after being held by Hamas for over 500 days. Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old and member of the Israel Defense Forces, was released by Hamas amid a pause in fighting in Gaza, according to Reuters. Hamas said it was freeing Alexander as a goodwill gesture to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region this week, and is seen as a stepping stone to a potential ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. "This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones," Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, on May 11. The release coincides with reports from a global hunger monitor organization warning people in the Gaza strip face starvation. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on Monday that half a million people are at risk, with a critical risk of famine by September. Who is Edan Alexander? Alexander, a dual Israeli-American, grew up in New Jersey and moved to Israel to join the Israel Defense Forces after attending high school in a town just north of Englewood. He was born to Israeli parents, Adi and Yael, in Tel Aviv, but the family moved to the U.S. when he was a baby, first to Maryland, before settling in Tenafly, New Jersey in 2008. Alexander graduated in 2022 from Tenafly High, where he was active in sports leagues and competed for the local swim team. He often traveled to Israel to visit his grandparents and celebrated his bar mitzvah there, according to reporting by part of the USA TODAY Network. Alexander moved to Israel after high school to join the Israeli Army. He was captured from a military post the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack led by Hamas, which saw Hamas militants enter into southern Israel. The attack left about 1,200 people dead, and militants captured Alexander and some 250 others to hold hostage. How many hostages remain in Gaza? There are about 59 remaining hostages in Gaza, Reuters has reported, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, May 7, that 21 are believed to be alive. The militant group is also thought to be holding the bodies of four Israeli-Americans: Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Judith Weinstein, and her husband, Gadi Haggai, as USA TODAY previously reported. Al Jazeera television showed a photograph of Alexander standing next to masked fighters and a Red Cross official upon his release Monday, according to Reuters, and he is expected to be received at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment after 19 months in captivity. Contributing: Reuters, Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
