The IDF on Thursday said it had retrieved the bodies of Judith Weinstein Haggai and her husband, Gadi Haggai, from Khan Yunis. They were murdered and their bodies were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre.

Their bodies were held in Gaza for almost 20 months. Judith was 70 and Gadi was 72 when they were murdered. They had Israeli and US citizenship.

Terrorists from the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement murdered them, the IDF said.

This is the same terrorist group that is believed to have also kidnapped and murdered Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir. Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the children’s father, was released on February 1, 2025.

They were kidnapped from Nir Oz on October 7, when the kibbutz was overrun by terrorists.

Nir Oz is a community of 420 residents, including 386 who were there on October 7. Forty-seven people were killed at Nir Oz on October 7, according to an IDF investigation.

The IDF did not reach Nir Oz until the terrorists had left the kibbutz. Terrorists attacked the kibbutz at about 6:50 a.m. and held it until around noon, when they began to leave.

Several terrorist groups were involved in taking over the community and in the massacre and kidnappings.

What is known about the Mujahideen group? First of all, it is worth knowing a bit about the crimes of the group and the other terrorists on October 7.

According to the IDF investigation, 76 people were kidnapped from the community, including 67 who were alive. Thirteen of those 67 living hostages were killed in Gaza.

By March 2025, a total of five hostages presumed to be alive were still held in Gaza, and nine deceased hostages were held. Today, with the return of the bodies of Gadi and Judith, it would appear that seven deceased hostages are believed to be held in Gaza from the community, along with the living hostages.

The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement is also known as the Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades. The group is believed to have been founded in 2006.

“The Mujahideen Brigades are the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement,” according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. “They operate in both Gaza and the West Bank (including Jenin). The secretary general of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement is Dr. As’ad Abu Shari’a. The Brigades have claimed responsibility for rocket fire against Israel and operate in cooperation with Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades. The group also participated in the 7 October 2023 attacks against Israel alongside Hamas and several other Palestinian armed groups.”

The Mujahideen group operates in Gaza and the West Bank 

According to an article by Joe Truzman at FDD’s Long War Journal in 2020, the “Mujahideen Brigades’ military capability compares similarly to the other small militant groups in the Gaza Strip. Small arms, rocket propelled grenades, locally manufactured mortars and short-range rockets make up the majority of the military capability the group possesses.”

Throughout the war that began with the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the Mujahideen have not played a major role. They have held the bodies of hostages, however, and they were involved in some fighting in Gaza.

On Wednesday, a man named Abu Bilal, who is the spokesperson for the Mujahideen, said the IDF’s casualties in Gaza were much larger than the IDF has said. He also said the group has recruited many new recruits.

This comes as Hamas continues to suffer losses. In general, the terrorist group does not issue many statements.

On February 25, 2025, the group released a video that was shown on Middle East Eye. It showed a “field commander” of the Mujahideen Brigades saying that Shiri Bibas was an “active Israeli soldier,” as an excuse for why they kidnapped her.

The terrorists claimed that she and her children were killed in an airstrike, and that the group also lost members who were guarding her. The group took part in the handover ceremony of the corpses of Shiri and her two children on February 20.

In early April, the IDF eliminated Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, who is believed to have been a senior member of the Mujahideen Brigades. Awad “commanded the kidnappings of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas,” during the October 7, 2023, atrocities and was “probably personally involved” in their murders, the IDF said Wednesday. He is also believed to have been involved in kidnapping Gadi, Judith, and Thai workers.

The Mujahideen Brigades continue to play a role in Gaza. It both carries out attacks and claims to be speaking on behalf of the Palestinians.

For instance, Middle East Eye said the terrorist group issued a statement in March, condemning Israeli raids in the West Bank.

“This new aggression is part of the policy of siege and starvation that targets the foundations of our people’s steadfastness and aims to break their will,” Mujahideen Brigades said.

It clearly wants to expand its influence in Gaza and the West Bank.