Kibbutz Nir Oz has announced the tragic death of one of its residents, Gadi Haggai, while in captivity in Gaza.

The kibbutz released a statement confirming that 73-year-old Haggai was murdered and that his wife, 70-year-old Judi Weinstein, remains a hostage in Gaza. The exact details of how the information regarding Haggai’s death was obtained were not disclosed, but the kibbutz confirmed that his body is still in the possession of terrorists in Gaza.

Gadi Haggai, a retired chef and jazz musician, was a beloved figure in his community. “Gadi was a man full of humor who knew how to make those around him laugh. A musician at heart, a gifted flautist, he played in the IDF Orchestra and was involved with music his whole life,” the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said.

The couple, Haggai and Weinstein, a U.S. citizen, were abducted during their morning walk on October 7th. Weinstein, a retired teacher from New York, managed to capture a 40-second video clip during the incident, which was their last communication with their family.

Their daughter, Iris Weinstein Haggai, recounted a distressing call made by her mother to paramedics, revealing that they had been shot by terrorists and that her father was severely wounded. “Paramedics tried to send her an ambulance. The ambulance got hit by a rocket,” she said.

The attacks of October 7th led to the abduction of approximately 80 residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz by terrorists. It is believed that out of 240 hostages abducted by Hamas on that day, 129 remain in Gaza, not all of them alive. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 22 hostages still held by Hamas, based on intelligence and findings from operations in Gaza.

Hamas continues to hold the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, along with two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are believed to be alive after entering Gaza in 2014 and 2015.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)