IDF Recovers Bodies of 2 Israeli Americans Murdered by Hamas on October 7

Latest Developments

• Hostage Bodies Recovered: The IDF announced on June 5 that it had recovered the bodies of two Israeli Americans, Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai, who were murdered during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. The couple, residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, were killed by the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, the terrorist organization also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir. Israeli President Issac Herzog said that the IDF will “continue to do everything in [its] power to bring” the remaining 56 hostages “back from hell — the living, for healing and rehabilitation, and the fallen, to be laid to rest in dignity.”
• Mujahideen Brigades Commander Eliminated: The recovery of the two hostages’ bodies coincided with the announcement by the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement of the death of Mahmoud Abu Nar, a member of the group’s “military council” and commander of the group’s Central Camps Brigade, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike. The fundamentalist Salafi jihadist group operates under Hamas’s joint operations room in Gaza and was one of several armed Palestinian groups in addition to Hamas that participated in the October 7 atrocities.
• U.S. Vetoes UNSC Ceasefire Vote: The United States on June 4 vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. Fourteen other member states, including the United Kingdom and France, voted in favor of the resolution. French President Emmanuel Macron stated this week that Paris is weighing “concrete steps” against Israel over the alleged obstruction of humanitarian aid into Gaza. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea said the proposed ceasefire resolution was “unacceptable for what it does say, it is unacceptable for what it does not say, and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced,” adding that “any product that undermines our close ally Israel’s security is a nonstarter.”

FDD Expert Response

“Judi and Gad Haggai will be remembered not just for how they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists but also for how they lived, for their poetic love for each other, and for their work to build a peaceful life for Israel and her neighbors. One way to honor them is to ensure justice for their murder is achieved not in revenge or retribution but through an end to the incitement to violence and the proliferation of hateful ideology that led to their deaths. While their remains will be returned to their family, 56 other hostages must also be reunited with their families, without which healing cannot begin.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director, FDD Action

“By recovering the bodies of two Israeli American dual citizens held in Gaza and eliminating Hamas’s chief military leader Mohammed Sinwar a few weeks earlier, Israel proved that the common refrain — that the Gaza war must end immediately because there is nothing left for Israel to gain — is false. Kicking the can down the road by allowing Hamas — the terrorist group that launched this war and that has oppressed Gazans for decades — to remain would only guarantee continued suffering and strife.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement has elevated its position within the constellation of Gaza terrorist groups following the October 7 Hamas-led massacre. The events of October 7 transformed the public perception of several previously obscure terrorist factions operating in Gaza. The war has demonstrated that Gaza’s terrorist infrastructure is not solely defined by Hamas but rather by a broader network of terrorist factions that operate with varying degrees of autonomy yet remain ideologically and operationally aligned.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

FDD Background and Analysis

“Israel Accepts Witkoff-Proposed Gaza Truce While Hamas Hedges,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Agents of the Occupation’: Hamas Threatens Civilians Who Accept Aid From Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Deadline for the Second Phase’: Citing Hostage Conditions, Witkoff Wants Timeframe,” FDD Flash Brief

“Can Hamas ever be defeated?” by Seth J. Frantzman