The Israeli military and security agency Shin Bet retrieved the bodies in a "special operation" in Khan Yunis, Netanyahu states in a statement.
The couple Gadi Haggai, 73, and Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, who were also US citizens, were killed during the October 7 attack in the kibbutz Nir Oz and were then taken to Gaza. During the attack, Judy managed to call a friend and report that she had been shot in the arm and her husband in the head, Haaretz writes.
The couple's relatives express gratitude for being able to have a closure and hold a funeral at home.
"But our hearts will not heal until all twelve hostages from Nir Oz, and all 56 hostages in total, return", they say in a statement.
Total of 250 people were taken as hostages during the Hamas terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, an attack that became the starting point for the war in Gaza. Almost 60 hostages are believed to be still in Gaza, of which only 23 are thought to be alive.
