Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages taken in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency.

Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship, in December 2023.

The military said they were killed in the Oct. 7 attack and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children. The army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight into Thursday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border and rampaged through several army bases and farming communities.

In the early hours of the morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services and let them know that both she and her husband had been shot, and send a message to her family.

The father of released hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, who is now living in Carmei Gat with the rest of Kibbbutz Nir Oz members, a small community near the Gaza border, said that "the return of the bodies over 600 days too late is the starkest possible reminder that Israel has a huge moral and national spiritual responsibility to get all of the hostages home."

Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with special needs. The kibbutz said she also taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety as a result of rocket fire from Gaza. Haggai was a retired chef and jazz musician.

The couple were survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.

AP video shot by Ami Bentov