Family still fighting for return of body of last Canadian held by Hamas

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When Iris Weinstein Haggai’s daughter asks why she can’t visit her grandparents’ grave, the answers are nothing short of “inhumane.”

Weinstein Haggai’s parents, Judih Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, were murdered by Hamas terrorists while on their morning walk on Oct. 7, 2023, in Nir Oz, the kibbutz in southern Israel where Iris was raised. Hamas then took their bodies, which are still being held in Gaza.

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Judih Weinstein Haggai is the only Canadian hostage still being held.

Iris discovered her parent’s death nearly three months after the attack. Since then, she has been meeting with U.S. and Canadian officials to share her parents’ story.

She is also suing a wide range of organizations, including the terrorist groups Hamas and Samidoun, as well as Iran, under Canada’s Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, with Ohad Lapidot, whose daughter was also killed by Hamas. Their lawsuit argues the organizations tied to October 7 are liable for $350 million for the death of their family members.

Weinstein Haggai spoke to the National Post via Zoom from her house in Singapore about the lawsuit, the recent death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the fight to bring her mother home. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

It would be impossible to think of the pain you must be feeling. What do you want people to know about what you have lived through?

It’s been over a year since October 7, but, for me, it’s just been a really long day. I don’t really have a sense of closure. It’s been a year, and I don’t have a grave to visit. My eight-year-old daughter asked me: “Mommy, if they’re dead, how come I can’t go show them my drawings or sit next to their grave to speak with them?” The answers I have to give her are inhumane. Nobody should ever hear the questions that my kids ask me.

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It’s been a struggle – a struggle that I need to convince people why this goes against any and every humanitarian law possible. It’s been a struggle that these innocent people died. This is not just my parents. This is the community I grew up in. One out of four was either murdered or taken hostage. Nir Oz is a 400-person community. A quarter of the people I grew up with just disappeared one day. And we still don’t know what their status is. I mean, we consider them alive because we don’t know otherwise. But we have no proof of life.

People also don’t understand my parents were officially announced dead because of IDF intelligence. It’s not that Hamas, a terrorist entity recognized by Canada, told us. They didn’t come say: “Listen, we murdered your parents today and took them with us.” We had to work hard to find out what happened.

It’s been a long nightmare, and my family’s been on pause since October 7. I was supposed to launch a business. That’s not happening. I’ve been working and advocating to get them out, to make people realize this is a humanitarian crisis. This is not going to solve the regional conflict. This is a hostage crisis. These are innocent people and we’re trying to get them out.

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In the wake of Yahya Sinwar’s death, what lies ahead for the fate of the more than 60 living hostages and 35 bodies that are still being held by Hamas?

I wish I had the answer to that. I’m hoping that governments would seize this opportunity and realize there’s no time to overthink. This is a very small window that we can pressure what’s left of Hamas to release all the hostages. We can pressure countries like Qatar, where Hamas still is. There’s so much leverage that governments can use, but we need them to act quickly.

And I want Canada to stand for Canadian values, like justice, human rights and respect. This is the time for leadership, to form some kind of united coalition and get these hostages out of there. My friends are still there, hopefully alive, but maybe getting raped, and maybe pregnant. I don’t know anything. There’s no time. People tell me the clock is ticking. It’s not ticking anymore. We saw the conditions that hostages are held in. We saw the execution of the six hostages. It was horrific, so horrific. It’s time to act now.

I want to add that prior to Sinwar’s death, there was no hope. He didn’t even come to the negotiation table. At least with him gone, we have an opening for pressure. I wish I could do it myself, but I need governments to do the right thing: to stand for what is right and get these hostages out of there. That’s foremost above any and every priority.

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What is the significance of your lawsuit during this time?

I think any lawsuit or indictment that puts pressure on these terror entities, sending a message that we don’t negotiate with terrorists, is above all important. But I think ours means a lot because this is a humanitarian issue, and we need the world to recognize this. We need to hold the people who finance these terrorist proxies accountable, such as Syria and the Islamic regime in Iran. This is a very important step to choke their finances and hopefully create awareness in Canada.

It’s especially important in Canada, which just listed Samidoun as a terror entity. I’m sure our lawsuit had some kind of push towards that. But I’m very happy Canada took the stand against terrorism and hope they realize this can happen anywhere in the world, not just in Israel. This is a global threat and we can see it. We just heard “Death to Canada, death to America” chants. That should terrify us. My grandmother still lives in Toronto, and every time she goes out, I think to myself, what could happen? Toronto is a scary place right now, unfortunately.

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What do you make of the Canadian support for families of Hamas victims?

My mom, Judih Haggai, should be a household name in Canada, but nobody knows there’s a Canadian hostage. There isn’t a lot of awareness. And there’s a reason for that: there’s an agenda here. Every Canadian should know their government stands against terror and does everything to save their citizens. I feel that’s not being done and Canada can do a lot more.

There’s a reason Canada used to be known for justice and human rights, but I feel that reputation was lost this past year. I feel they’re letting false narratives control the media. Hamas is a terror entity that’s recognized in Canada. And yet some media calls them a militant group. So I wouldn’t say it’s the support that I’m looking for.

I know I get a lot of support from human rights organizations, and the community that does know of October 7, but antisemitism is through the roof in Canada. It’s insane. I would expect the Canadian government to do something about that but I don’t see enough action.

What is the importance of laws and methods of redress like the Federal Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act for Canadians?

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It’s important to know there’s a body of law that supports victims of terror. But we’re going to see how much it does with this lawsuit. We’re going to pursue it fully and make sure we receive justice for what happened to my mother and hopefully get her back home. I think everyone in Canada should scream: “Bring Judih back home!” Hopefully, this act helps.

How would you respond to people who prioritize defeating Hamas over the immediate safety of the hostages?

Hamas is nothing new. I grew up one mile away from Hamas for 20 years. We’ve been bombed for 20 years. October 7 is by far the worst atrocity and the worst crime against Jews since the Holocaust. But the terror has been ongoing. To prioritize defeating Hamas above saving lives right now is absurd.

To us as Israelis, it doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish, Christian or Arab. It doesn’t matter. We value life. That’s why every family in Israel has a safe room, and that’s why we invented the Iron Dome: to protect our people. When we value life, we choose to save life. At the same time, I understand why people don’t want October 7 to happen again. I understand those who want to remove the threat. It was extremely scary. As far as I’m concerned, removing the threat and saving our hostages go together. But the priority should be bringing our hostages back home because they don’t have time.

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You’ve previously described your mother as a peace activist, who embodied Canadian values such as the pursuit of justice. What would your parents say about the uncertain hostage situation in Gaza today?

Every day I ask myself: ‘I wish I knew what my dad would say, or what my mom would say.’ They were my moral compass. I think they knew war was coming, but nothing of this magnitude. They would be appalled by everything. People ask me if I still believe in peace because we always wanted a two-state solution and coexistence. We used to believe that Palestinians wanted the same. Unfortunately, many people I know don’t believe that anymore. There’s no other choice. The only way we can live is with peace.

We see that with Egypt and Jordan, who have made sure these terror entities don’t gain power or finance. And we just saw that with Samidoun in Vancouver, who were financing the rallies against Israel that had nothing to do with Palestinians. If they really wanted to help Palestinians, they would want Hamas gone too. Sinwar was jailed by Israel because he murdered Palestinians. So it’s crazy to me that the same organizations who say they’re pro-Palestine don’t put Palestinian lives first.

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My parents would want to live side-by-side with people who respect us just as we respect them. But, unfortunately, they don’t. UNRWA teaches Palestinians to hate us. Their children are victims of hate, and I feel that it’s getting more extreme on both sides, as war does. Hopefully, we see peace soon because war doesn’t lead to anything except destruction.

My mom was an advocate, not just for peace, but for children too. She was a teacher, and she would help children and teenagers cope with their anxieties due to the constant bombings. I believe she would use that to help both sides, to unite Palestinians and Israelis and help solve this. Because I think education here is the key. When you teach to love, nobody wants to grow up and be a terrorist. But when you teach to hate, which is much easier, it doesn’t create good things. My parents would make the world a better place, that’s for sure.

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