Last Canadian who was still missing after Hamas attack in Israel confirmed killed
Judih Weinstein Haggai, the last Canadian citizen who was still missing after Hamas militants attacked Israel in early October, has been confirmed killed.
The family of the Israeli-Canadian woman told The Canadian Press that they now know that she died on October 7, the day Hamas launched a rocket assault on Israel and infiltrated the border at several locations.
The 70-year-old and her Israeli-American husband, Gadi Haggai, were shot near the Gaza border, according to the family.
The couple lived in the Nir Oz kibbutz, which is less than three kilometres away from the Gaza Strip.
The kibbutz shared a statement on Facebook on Thursday, also verifying Weinstein Haggai’s death.
According to the kibbutz, she was a mother of four and grandmother of seven. It described her as an English teacher who specialized in teaching children with disabilities.
“For the past few years she has also taught mindfulness to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety caused by the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza,” reads the statement. “Judy was a poet, entrepreneur, and pursued many initiatives to advance peace in the region.”
The kibbutz says it also just learned of Weinstein Haggai’s husband’s death last week.
The couple leaves behind two daughters and two sons, who have requested not to be contacted at this time.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the country at war after the October 7 attack, launching a siege and blockade on Gaza that has lasted for over 80 days.
The Israeli government’s assault on one of the most densely populated regions in the world has resulted in over 21,300 Palestinians killed as of Thursday, most of them women and children.
UN experts have described the Israeli government’s bombardment as a “mass ethnic cleansing” and a “genocide.”
Hamas has said the attack was in response to the worsening treatment of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and the expansion of Israeli settlements. The Canadian government has classified Hamas as a “radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization.”
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