70-year-old American hostage confirmed dead after October 7 attack by Hamas

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Friday, December 29, 2023
Second American hostage taken by Hamas confirmed dead
The 70-year-old was a native of Goshen in Orange County.

Another American hostage has been confirmed dead after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7.

Judi Weinstein Haggai was 70 years old. She had Israeli, American and Canadian citizenship.

Weinstein Haggai was a native of Goshen in Orange County and moved to Israel 30 years ago. Her mother is from Manhattan.

Her husband, Gag Haggai, was also killed during the massacre. On Friday, it was confirmed that Haggai, a 73-year-old Israeli American, died while in Hamas capacity.

The bodies of the husband and wife remain held captive by Hamas. They leave behind four children and seven grandchildren.

Weinstein Haggai was the last American woman believe to be among the hostages held in Gaza. Six other Americans, all men, remain in captivity.

It was initially believed Weinstein Haggai could be part of the hostage deal for Hamas to free at least 50 women and children that was struck last month. While two Americans were released under the agreement, she was not. Israel proposed a one-week pause in the war for the return of 35 hostages, but Hamas is refusing any discussions about prisoner swaps until Israel ends its military operation, CNN reported Friday.

Weinstein Haggai's family described her as a peaceful person. She was vegan, wrote daily haikus and had a creative spirit, they say, used poetry and puppetry in her work with children. She taught English for several years and eventually incorporated mindfulness into her lessons.

"She wanted to help them about their anxiety, about their stress ... and she used to teach Palestinians and Jews, and she taught everybody," her daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, recounted to CNN earlier this month. "My mother was all about peace but taken hostage and shot. ... All she does is good things to people."

CNN Wire contributed to this report.