American woman believed to be in Hamas custody actually killed on Oct. 7, kibbutz says

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A 70-year-old Israeli-American woman thought to be held hostage by Hamas actually was killed during the Oct. 7 attack, according to the kibbutz from where she was taken.

Judith Weinstein Haggai, an Israeli with American and Canadian citizenship, and her husband, Gadi, came under fire in the attack on Nir Oz near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Both were believed to be taken hostage by Hamas, but a spokesperson from the kibbutz confirmed Thursday she was killed by Hamas gunmen during the attack.

The development came a week after Gadi Haggai also was confirmed killed in the initial attack. Both bodies still are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

The couple's daughter, Iris, told CBS News in late November that she saw video evidence of her father being killed, but at the time she had no updates about her mother.

According to the advocacy group the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, "Judy was a teacher all her life, taught English and volunteered with the elderly and children who taught yoga and meditation."

The forum also said the couple managed to inform their friends they were injured from gunfire, and that was their last contact.

The Times of Israel said Weinstein and her husband were a longtime members of Nir Oz. She was a mother of four and a grandmother of seven.

In a statement released Thursday, President Joe Biden said he was devastated to learn of Weinstein's death, and the "tragic development cuts deep" in light of the recent news that her husband also was killed in the attack.

"No family should have to endure such an ordeal. And I reaffirm the pledge we have made to all the families of those still held hostage: We will not stop working to bring them home," Biden said.

Israel has said about 240 people were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, and 129 hostages remain in Gaza -- not all of them alive. Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the initial strike.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported the death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 21,110 since Oct. 7.