It's been an extremely tough year for the family of Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai. They were among the victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
"We miss them terribly," Judi's sister, Andrea Weinstein, told Scripps News. "I mean their death was horrific, but their life was beautiful."
Judi Weinstein was killed on Oct. 7, but her family didn't learn of her death until 83 days later. A short time later, Judi's husband was also confirmed to be among the victims. Neither of their bodies have been recovered.
RELATED STORY | Iran fires at least 180 missiles into Israel as regionwide conflict grows
Andrea Weinstein is among those critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She believes the prime minister could be doing more to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
"We need our loved ones to be returned. We need all the hostages to be returned to families," Andrea Weinstein said. "For those of us who know our loved ones are no longer alive, we need to have some sense of closure and bury them with loving family."
RELATED STORY | Jewish community reacts to Iran's missile attack on Israel
To mark one year since their deaths, Andrea Weinstein is choosing to remember her loved ones as the peaceful people they were.
"My sister and her husband lived a very peaceful life. They believed in peace and chose to live in a kibbutz ... because they believed in, you know, maintaining peace with neighbors," Weinstein said.
Hamas militants killed more than 1,000 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took around 250 hostages. The attack led to the war in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
