**Elderly American Israeli murdered in hostage situation with Hamas**
An elderly American Israeli with deep ties to New York has become the first US citizen confirmed to have been killed while being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, it was announced Friday.
Gadi Haggai, 73, was murdered by the terror group who are still thought to be holding his 70-year-old wife, Judih Weinstein, according to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum representing the families.
Haggai, whose mother was born and raised in Manhattan and whose father is from Detroit, and Weinstein, a native of Goshen in upstate New York, moved to Israel 30 years ago, seeking solace in the Jewish state — until Hamas’ surprise terror attack on Oct. 7 shattered their peaceful existence.
The couple had been taking their usual walk outside Kibbutz Nir Oz when armed Hamas militants on motorcycles ambushed them that morning, relatives said.
Haggai’s body is still in the hands of their captors in the Palestinian territory; Weinstein’s fate remains unknown.
Relatives of the couple had launched a frantic search for their kin following the Oct. 7 attack. The day they were attacked, Weinstein managed to call one of the kibbutz members for help, saying she had been shot in the arm and was wounded in the face and Haggai had been shot in his head.
Shortly before the couple was believed to be taken hostage, Weinstein was also able to text her daughter in Singapore. A paramedic later told the couple’s children that she had called for medical help — but they lost contact with her.
“We know that they were badly wounded. We know that [Weinstein] still had the phone with her to be able to call and ask for help and provide details. But ever since then, we lost all contact with them,” the couple’s niece, Ofri Haggai, 47, told The Post last month.
Weinstein is believed to still be held captive.
The quest to find out what happened to her relatives brought Ofri Haggai, a global human resources manager in Israel, all the way to her aunt’s native Orange County, New York, home to seek the help of local politicians.
It remains unclear how officials were able to determine Gadi Haggai had died in captivity, as Hamas officials do not comment on the death reports.
He leaves behind four children and seven grandchildren.
President Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were “heartbroken” by the news of Haggai’s death in a statement issued Friday. “We continue to pray for the well-being and safe return of his wife, Judy,” Biden said, noting that the couple’s daughter had been part of a phone call he had held with the families of hostages just last week.
According to Israel’s official tally, 129 people are still in captivity in the Gaza Strip, with 22 confirmed dead. The forum said that between five and 10 of the hostages hold US citizenship. The US Embassy had no immediate comment.
(Source: New York Post)