The Israeli military told Newsweek on Thursday that an Israeli hostage was found dead near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman, was taken hostage, along with more than 200 others, by Palestinian militant group Hamas during its surprise attack on Israel last month.
On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. According to Israeli officials, 1,200 people in Israel were killed in Hamas’ attack, the Associated Press reported, while over 11,200 Palestinians have been killed since Thursday, according to officials from the health ministry in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is “at war” and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Newsweek via email that Weiss was found by IDF troops in a structure near Al-Shifa Hospital, which is Gaza’s largest medical center. Israel launched a raid on the hospital Wednesday after claiming that Hamas was operating from tunnels beneath the building. However, Hamas and hospital officials have denied such claims.
Dawood Nemer/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli officials said that Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) were discovered in the structure where Weiss was found.
Weiss was taken from her home in Be’eri on October 7 by Hamas, according to IDF. She was identified by military medical and rabbinate personnel and taken back to Israeli territory.
Weiss was suffering from cancer and her husband, Shmuel, was killed by Hamas during its surprise attack, Israeli officials said on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
The Israeli government called Weiss’ death “heartbreaking” in its post. Alongside a photo of Weiss, officials wrote: “May Yehudit’s memory be a blessing.”
Heartbreaking 💔
We are devastated to share that the body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65 year old Israeli woman who was taken hostage by Hamas was found by the IDF in a structure near the Shifa Hospital.
Kalashnikov rifles and RPGs were also found in the structure.
Yehudit was a… pic.twitter.com/UOvB4I8Vv8
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) November 16, 2023
“The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family,” Israeli officials told Newsweek.
Only four out of 242 hostages have been released alive by Hamas. Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, were the first hostages to be released on October 20. Three days later, Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, were released.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he is confident that Hamas’ hostages will be released. “I’ve been talking with the people involved every single day. I believe it’s going to happen. But I don’t want to get into detail,” Biden told reporters. In an earlier call on Tuesday, Biden “discussed at length” efforts to free the hostages with Netanyahu, according to the White House.
As Israeli forces continue to target Hamas in Gaza, politicians and activists have called on the White House to support a ceasefire in an effort to protect innocent Palestinians. However, Biden and Netanyahu have remained firm in their stance that talks of a ceasefire are not possible until all of Hamas’ hostages are released.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.