Second American held hostage by Hamas confirmed dead in Gaza
The second American hostage during the conflict between Israel and Hamas has died, her community announced on Thursday. She was one of eight Americans being held captive by Hamas.
A second American being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip has died, Fox News has learned.
Judi Weinstein Haggai and her husband, both Israeli Americans in their 70s, were shot and taken hostage from their community of Kibbutz Nir when Hamas-led forces mounted a deadly terror attack on Israeli communities on Oct. 7. They disappeared in the fields surrounding Kibbutz Nir Oz early that Saturday morning and had not been heard from since.
On Thursday, the community announced that Haggai was dead. She was one of eight Americans being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
The announcement comes just a week after the community said Haggai's husband, Gad, had died. He was the first American hostage to die in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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The six other Americans being held hostage by Hamas include Omer Neutra, 21; Itay Chen, 19; Sagui Dekel-Chen- 35; Edan Alexander, 19; Hersh Goldberg Polin and Keith Samuel Siegel.
The couple is survived by their children, who live in Colorado, Singapore and Israel.
Following Gad's death last week, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden said they were "heartbroken."
"Today, we are praying for their four children, seven grandchildren, and other loved ones and are grieving this tragic news with them," Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he spoke with the couple’s daughter by phone during his meeting with the families of hostages last week.
He also reaffirmed his pledged to the families that "we will not stop working to bring them home."
Their bodies are being held by the terror group.
Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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