Body of presumed hostage found near Shifa hospital in Gaza

The body of Yehudit Weiss, one of around 240 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in the Oct. 7 massacre, was recovered by IDF troops in a building near Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

It was unclear whether she died in captivity or was taken dead from her kibbutz by the terrorists. Her husband Shmulik Weiss was murdered that day.

In the structure where her body was found, a significant amount of combat gear and weapons were also found, including Shmulik Weiss, who was initially classified as missing. Two weeks later, it was revealed that he was brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.

Yehudit Weiss, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, had been classified as missing until Thursday. The family received an official notification from the IDF that Yehudit was counted among the kidnapped after she was located with the help of a phone trace, as her mobile phone was found within the Gaza Strip.

Shmulik and Yehudit met in the Jordan Valley. They became a couple, got married, and had five children. They ended up living in Kibbutz Be’eri, where more than 100 people were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.

That day, Yehudit and Shmulik were at their home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Contact with them was severed on Saturday at 10:07 in the morning. Four of their children – Giora, Asaf, Omer, and Daniel – live in the kibbutz and survived after taking refuge in a protected space with their grandchildren.

Family members said that Yehudit wrote in the family WhatsApp group: “We are okay, and we love you. Be strong.” After IDF forces entered Kibbutz Be’eri, it was discovered that the house of Yehudit and Shmulik Weiss was burned to the ground.

Israel Hayom is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, which also owns the Review-Journal.