Judih Weinstein Haggai, left, went missing on Oct. 7, after she texted her relatives and told them she and her husband, Gad Haggai, were shot by a militant on a motorcycle while walking near her kibbutz.Iris Weinstein Haggai/The Associated Press
Judih Weinstein Haggai, the only Canadian hostage still considered missing after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants in Israel, has been confirmed dead.
The 70-year-old English teacher, who was born in the United States, came to Canada when she was 3 and moved to Israel 20 years later, died on the day of the raids, according to her kibbutz and a family member.
Her husband Gad Haggai, a 72-year-old retired chef and jazz musician, was declared dead by the kibbutz just before Christmas, but relatives had held onto hope that Ms. Weinstein Haggai was still being held hostage and would be released.
Ms. Weinstein Haggai was a mother of four, a grandmother to seven and she “pursued many initiatives to advance peace in the region,” the kibbutz said in a statement.
She went missing on Oct. 7, after she texted her relatives and told them she and her husband were shot by a militant on a motorcycle while walking near her kibbutz.
Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community of 400 people where one in four residents was either killed or abducted that day, tried to dispatch an ambulance for the couple but couldn’t do so because of the attack.
Israeli officials later told family members that Ms. Weinstein Haggai’s cellphone signal was detected within Gaza.
In confirming her death, the kibbutz said that the couple’s bodies “remain held in captivity by Hamas.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said he was devastated by the news of her death. Ms. Weinstein Haggai held Canadian, Israeli and American citizenship.
”This tragic development cuts deep, coming on the heels of last week’s news that Judith’s beloved husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas,” Mr. Biden said in a statement, using the alternative spelling of her name. He vowed to continue fighting for the release of other hostages still held by Hamas.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on social media that she learned of Ms. Weinstein Haggai’s death with a “heavy heart.”
“I have met with her family and they have described her as loving, kind and compassionate. Canada mourns her loss with her family and loved ones,” Ms. Joly said.
Global Affairs Canada sent a statement Thursday saying officials are in contact with Ms. Weinstein Haggai’s relatives and are providing assistance. One of her daughters memorialized her mother in a social media post Thursday, but the kibbutz statement said the family does not want any calls from the media.
Ms. Weinstein Haggai spent decades teaching English to students, both Israelis and Palestinians, using handmade puppets in her lessons. In recent years, she began instructing others on mindfulness and was a prolific poet, posting her haikus to a personal website.
Ali Weinstein, a niece who lives in Toronto, said in an interview earlier this month that the family was on an emotional roller coaster since Oct. 7. They felt joy when some hostages were released, but dread each time her aunt wasn’t among them.
Her family said that Ottawa had been responsive to the family’s concerns, with two RCMP officers in touch nearly every day despite a lack of much new information.
Global Affairs Canada previously confirmed the deaths of eight Canadians, including one in Lebanon, along with another person they said had close ties to Canada. An estimated 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 and about 240 more were taken hostage.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said Jews across Canada are heartbroken, after praying that Ms. Weinstein Haggai would still be alive.
“Judih and her husband Gadi are among the 129 Israeli souls still being held by Hamas,” wrote the head of the Canadian group, Shimon Koffler Fogel. “Whether they are alive or not, they all must be immediately and unconditionally returned to their homes and their families in Israel.”
Members of Ms. Weinstein Haggai’s family attended a rally at Parliament earlier this month decrying antisemitic violence in Canada and calling for solidarity with Israel. Her relatives said that they were distressed by the rise in hateful speech toward both Jews and Muslims in Canada.
“We’re inspired by my sister, who believed in peace and believed in harmony,” said Larry Weinstein, Judih’s brother, on Dec. 4. “There can’t be any kind of resolution when people are at each other’s throats.”
With a report from Adrian Morrow in Washington, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
Mike Hager