A dual US-Israeli citizen who was believed to be among the hostages held by Hamas was actually killed on Oct. 7, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said Friday. Gadi Haggai, 73, and his wife were reportedly taken during the Hamas attack; the two were said to be on their daily walk near Kibbutz Nir Oz at the time, reports the New York Times. His wife, Judi, managed to convey to relatives they had been wounded, with his daughter telling the Times of Israel, "She said they were shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad."
That was the last they were heard from. The BBC reports Haggai's remains are thought to be in Hamas' hands; Judi remains captive in Gaza. The Times of Israel adds that Kibbutz Nir Oz was "one of the hardest hit communities" on Oct. 7. By the Israeli government's count, 129 of the approximately 240 original hostages are still in Gaza, including 22 who are dead. It's thought that as many as 10 of the remaining hostages are US citizens; the White House puts the number at eight.
President Biden said in a statement that he was "heartbroken by the news that American [Gadi] Haggai is now believed to have been killed by Hamas on October 7. ... Today, we are praying for [his] four children, seven grandchildren, and other loved ones and are grieving this tragic news with them. I reaffirm the pledge we have made to all the families of those still held hostage: We will not stop working to bring them home." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
