First American In Hamas Custody Found Dead

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 26: A member of the public looks at a wall displaying pictures of people still held hostage in Gaza, on October 26, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. In the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left an estimated 1,400 dead and 200 kidnapped, Israel launched a sustained bombardment of the Gaza Strip and threatened a ground invasion to vanquish the militant group that governs the Palestinian territory. But the fate of the hostages, Israelis and foreign nationals who are being held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as international pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, have complicated Israel's military response to the attacks. A timeline for a proposed ground invasion remains unclear. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A member of the public looks at a wall displaying pictures of people still held hostage in Gaza, on October 26, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

OAN’s Sophia Flores
11:48 AM – Friday, December 22, 2023

The first American hostage that was taken by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas during its raid into Israel on October 7th, has been declared dead.

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On Friday, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum announced that U.S. citizen Gadi Haggai has died.

“Gadi was a man full of humor who knew how to make those around him laugh. A musician at heart, a gifted flutist, he played in the IDF Orchestra and was involved with music his whole life,” the Forum said in a statement.

Haggai was taken alongside his wife, Judi Weinstein, while they were taking a morning stroll outside of Kibbutz Nir Oz.

They were then ambushed by armed terrorists on motorcycles.

According to Weinstein, who had her cell phone on her when the horrors first striked, she was shot in the arm and wounded in the face while her 73-year old husband was shot in the head.

“She said they were shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad,” their daughter Iris Weinstein Haggain said.

That was the last time anyone has been able to contact the couple.

It is currently not clear how the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) determined that Haggai had died in captivity, as Hamas officials do not release death reports on its hostages. His body is currently in Gaza.

However, Weinstein is still believed to be alive in Gaza.

So far, four Americans have been released in part of a U.S.- negotiated ceasefire deal that was brokered with the assistance of Qatar and Egypt. It is believed that seven American hostages still remain in the hands of Hamas members.

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