Israeli Mother of 5, Held Captive by Hamas, Discovered Deceased in Proximity to Gaza Hospital

Israel’s IDF Discovers Body of Mother of 5, Held Hostage by Hamas, Near Gaza Hospital

In an ongoing series of raids into Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli defense forces announced on Friday that they had found the body of a hostage who had been kidnapped by Hamas operatives during an attack on October 7. The body of 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss was discovered near the hospital premises.

According to an army statement, Weiss was extracted from a structure adjacent to Shifa hospital by Israeli Defense Force troops. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that she was murdered by terrorists in the Gaza Strip and unfortunately could not be reached in time to save her.

The IDF revealed in a post on X that Weiss was a mother of five children and worked at a kindergarten. She was taken hostage by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, while her husband was killed during the attack.

“Yehudit was abducted by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their home. Yehudit and Shmulik were parents to 5 children. Earlier today, IDF soldiers recovered her body from a building adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza,” read the IDF’s social media post.

The Israeli army also reported the discovery of assault rifles, including AK-47s, RPGs, and other military equipment near Weiss’ body.

Israeli officials have claimed that Weiss was one of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas during their initial attack last month. On the other hand, Hamas has accused Israel of killing its own hostages during the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, hundreds of Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers, laid siege to Al-Shifa hospital in search of footage related to the hostages on the facility’s computers. Israeli forces have long alleged that Hamas has established a base and secret tunnel beneath the hospital, using it to store weapons.

The United Nations reported that at least 2,300 patients, staff, and civilians, including 36 newborns, are currently inside the hospital. However, due to the Israeli soldiers breaking into the premises, the hospital has run out of fuel, and the water, electricity, and oxygen supply have been cut off. In the past week, three premature babies and several ICU patients have died due to the shortage of fuel.

The situation remains tense, and further developments are awaited.