New revelations have come to light about the mission that enabled the return of the bodies of Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai to Israel. Their remains were recovered in a highly coordinated operation conducted deep inside Khan Yunis.
The mission was the culmination of a months-long intelligence pursuit led by the Hostage Task Force in collaboration with the IDF Intelligence Directorate. From the beginning of the war, teams have worked tirelessly to track hostages’ whereabouts—whether alive or no longer living. Over the past month, those efforts became even more concentrated and targeted.
Tasked with gathering, interpreting, and acting on real-time intelligence, the Hostage Task Force employed sophisticated surveillance tools and cutting-edge research methods. Their objective: to locate and identify the positions of hostages with maximum accuracy.
After critical intelligence was collected and operational planning reached maturity, conditions were established to carry out a delicate maneuver in the heart of Khan Yunis. That intelligence enabled security forces to execute a precision-based mission aimed at protecting remaining hostages while successfully recovering the remains of the two Israeli citizens.
Ahead of the recovery effort, troops from the 98th Division conducted preparatory operations to set the stage. Combat units from the 7th and 89th Brigades carried out tactical flanking procedures that opened access to the location. The mission itself was conducted through coordinated efforts between the Southern Command and Military Intelligence, with leadership drawn from a unified operations center staffed by both the 98th Division and intelligence personnel.
This recovery effort was one element of the larger initiative known as Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”—an overarching campaign focused on dismantling Hamas’ militant infrastructure, neutralizing ongoing threats, and securing the return of hostages.
{Matzav.com Israel}