Iris Weinstein Haggai: Canada disgraces the memories of Hamas’s Canadian victims, including my mother

October 15, 2025

Iris Weinstein Haggai: Canada disgraces the memories of Hamas’s Canadian victims, including my mother

My mother, Judih Weinstein Haggai, was one of eight Canadians murdered in the Oct. 7 massacre. My father was slain alongside her and their bodies held hostage

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There are moments in history when a government’s actions, or inactions, reveal the truth about its values. For me, as the daughter of the only Canadian citizen taken hostage, who was murdered and whose body was held in Gaza as human currency for nearly two years, that moment came when the Canadian government chose to recognize a Palestinian state in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

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On that day, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and unleashed unimaginable brutality. Over 1,200 people were slaughtered, and more than 250 innocent civilians were taken hostage. The attacks were not just an act of war; they were an act of cruelty carefully designed to break the human spirit. This was not resistance; it was barbarism. Among the victims were eight Canadians, including my mother, Judih Weinstein Haggai, 70. My father, Gadi Haggai, 72, was also murdered alongside her while taking their peaceful early morning walk.