American Hostage Dies In Gaza – White House Silent, No Plan On Horizon

Israeli authorities have announced the death 73-year-old Gadi Haggai while in Hamas captivity, an Israeli-American dual national who had been kidnapped Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

The kibbutz made the announcement Friday but without specifying how it came by the information. Israel’s Missing Persons Families Forum also issued statement while saying his body is still being held in the Gaza Strip. “Gadi was a man full of humor who knew how to make those around him laugh. A musician at heart, a gifted flautist, he played in the IDF Orchestra and was involved with music his whole life,” the statement said.

Judi Weinstein and Gadi Haggai, via Israeli media

The statement reviewed that on Oct. 7 he had been on a walk with his wife when he was shot and “critically injured”. His wife had also been taken captive, and she remains in Gaza, and is believed to be alive.

A paramedic responding to the Oct. 7 attack on the kibbutz was the last to see the pair. Gadi’s child, Iris Weinstein Haggai, referenced the paramedic’s account as follows: “She said they were shot by terrorists on a motorcycle and that my dad was wounded really bad.”

The statement also indicated that “Judi managed to notify friends that they had been shot and that Gadi was critically injured – it was the last contact with them.”

There are still some 130 captives in total being held in Gaza, though some might be feared dead – and of the remaining total six are American citizens and one is a US Green Card holder. The prior seven-day truce saw over 100 captives freed, including some Americans.

Last week, President Biden hosted family members of American kidnap victims at the White House, and he vowed to work tirelessly to secure their freedom. 

In the opening weeks of the Gaza War, the Pentagon confirmed it had dispatched a team of special forces to advise and assist the Israeli military concerning the hostages.

Alarmingly, Israeli officials confirmed recently the military has begun flooding Gaza’s tunnel system, hoping to flush out the Hamas militants who hide there. Critics of the high-risk plan warn this could kill any hostages potentially being held underground as well. Also, the White House at this crucial moment has little to say, and doesn’t appear to be offering much in the way of a plan or alternatives, including on the level of a new hostage deal…

Reporter: “Are we expecting a hostage deal [in Gaza] any time soon?”

Biden: “Yes.”

Reporter: “Oh, really? Okay.”

Biden: “Wait. Where?”
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— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 20, 2023

Currently, it’s unlikely that Israeli or US intelligence has any idea where the remaining Americans are being kept inside the Gaza Strip, now a full besieged military zone. Little can be done, other than initiating a second temporary truce and hostage swap. Efforts to achieve this have so far failed, after Israel proposed a plan days ago that envisioned the release of 40 from Hamas captivity.