JERUSALEM, June 5, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The bodies of two Israeli-Americans killed by Palestinian militants in their October 7, 2023 attack and held in Gaza have been returned to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.

   Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein Haggai were residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hit hardest by the Hamas-led attack, with nearly a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage. 

   "In a special operation by the Shin Bet (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. 

   "Judy and Gad were murdered on October 7 and abducted to the Gaza Strip."

   A joint statement from the army and the Shin Bet said the bodies were recovered from the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation.

   "The rescue operation was conducted by... troops in coordination with the intelligence directorate and special forces," it added.

   An Israeli military official said the couple were killed on the morning of October 7 by fighters of the Mujahideen Brigades, an armed group close to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.

   According to the kibbutz, 117 residents were killed and more than 60 percent of its houses were destroyed during the attack.

   A spokesperson said that "after more than 600 days of pain and waiting, the bodies of Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein Haggai were brought back home to the State of Israel and to Nir Oz last night in a military operation".

   The kibbutz said Gad Haggai was 72 at the time of the October 2023 attack and Judy Weinstein Haggai was 70.

   Gad, a music lover and talented cook, and Judy, a former English teacher, have four children and seven grandchildren, according to the kibbutz. Judy also held Canadian citizenship.

   "We welcome the closure of the circle and their return for a proper burial at home, in Israel," their family was quoted as saying in the statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz, thanking the military and "everyone who supported, fought, prayed and struggled for us".

   - 'Military force' -

   President Isaac Herzog described the return of the bodies as "a moment of deep pain, but also one of solace and the resolution of uncertainty".

   "We will continue to do everything in our power to bring our sisters and brothers back from hell," he said in a post on X.

   Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's attack, 55 remain in captivity, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. 

   Israel has recently stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a bid to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.

   The intensified campaign sparked criticism from many members of the international community and some advocates for the hostages, who have pushed for a negotiated ceasefire.

   But far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on X that the retrieval of the bodies was "clear proof it is possible to bring our loved ones home through military force".

   He added it was time "to conquer the Gaza Strip, to go in with full force, dismantle Hamas, free the hostages and encourage emigration" of Palestinians from the territory.

   The October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

   According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.

   Hamas also holds the body of a soldier killed in 2014, during a previous Gaza war.