An Israeli-American man kidnapped by terror group Hamas along with his wife on Oct. 7 is confirmed to have died in captivity in Gaza.
Gadi Haggai, 73, and his American-born wife, Judi Weinstein, 70, were taking their regular morning walk around the Nir Oz kibbutz when it came under attack.
Weinstein captured the moment the alert was sounded at the kibbutz on a video shared on a group chat before the pair were themselves attacked and wounded.
According to The Times of Israel, she then called for medical help but the ambulance sent to help came under fire.
“She said they were shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad,” said Iris Weinstein Haggai, the couple’s daughter,
“Paramedics tried to send her an ambulance. The ambulance got hit by a rocket,” she added.
Gadi Haggai’s death was confirmed by Kibbutz Nir Oz, which said his body was being held by Hamas while his wife remained in captivity. Haggai had previously been listed as one of 80 people taken hostage at the kibbutz, which had 400 residents.
Born in northern Israel, Haggai was a keen musician who served as a flautist with the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra. He later went to live in the United States, where he met his wife and became a keen jazz saxophonist.
U.S. President Joe Biden lamented Haggai’s death and called for Hamas to release Judi and the other hostages it has kept prisoner for nearly three months.
“Jill and I are heartbroken by the news that American Gad Haggai is now believed to have been killed by Hamas on October 7,” Biden said in a statement. “Their daughter joined by phone my meeting with the families of hostages last week. Today, we are praying for their four children, seven grandchildren, and other loved ones and are grieving this tragic news with them.”
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said in a tribute: “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.”
It said that Haggai’s family has asked for privacy.