I am from Six Israeli hostages bodies recovered by IDF in Rafah tunnelin the Gaza Strip. They are 2 women and 4 men, including the Israeli-American Goldberg-Polin. According to the Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, they were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before the arrival of the troops. The Times of Israel writes
“According to an initial assessment… they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them. They were kidnapped alive on the morning of October 7 by the Hamas terrorist group. Their bodies were found during fighting in Rafah, in a tunnel, about a kilometer away from the one from which we rescued Farhan al-Qadi a few days ago,” he said at a press conference, adding that the troops fought Hamas terrorist operatives on the surface, in the area where the tunnel was located.
Who I am
The hostages are Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 25. According to the IDF, the six were murdered by Hamas perhaps a day or two before they were found. The army did not have the exact location of the hostages, but it had indications of a general area where the six may be held. Because of this, it says it operated cautiously in the area, starting by searching a tunnel complex yesterday, until they found the dead hostages in the afternoon. Overnight Their bodies were taken to Israel for identification.
Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Danino, Lubnov and Sarusi were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 at the Nova music festival, near Kibbutz Re’im, while Gat was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri.
97 Hostages Kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 Remain in Gaza
Currently 97 of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead from the IDF. In late November, during a week-long truce, Hamas released 105 civilians; four hostages had been released before that.
Eight hostages were rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 37 hostages were also recovered, including three who were killed by mistake by the military while trying to escape their captors. Hamas also holds two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.
Herzog: “The heart of an entire nation has been torn to pieces”
President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that “the heart of an entire nation has shattered.” “On behalf of the entire State of Israel, I hold their families in my heart and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not being able to bring your loved ones home safely,” he said. Herzog said the killing of the hostages demonstrated Hamas’ willingness to commit crimes against humanity, adding that the country’s “sacred goal” was to bring them home.
Lapid vs. Netanyahu
These deaths are “heartbreaking for the entire country, except for those who lead it,” opposition leader Yair wrote in X. Lapid, accusing the government of “burying the hostages”. “Instead of making a deal, they are playing politics, instead of saving lives, they are burying the hostages. Instead of doing everything to bring them home, Prime Minister Benjamin]Netanyahu is doing everything to stay in power. The government of disasters is burying the State of Israel,” the post reads.
Anger of the family members
According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the six murdered hostages recovered from Gaza would still be alive if the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reached a deal with Hamas for their release. “If it were not for the saboteurs, the excuses and the rhetoric, the hostages whose deaths we learned this morning would likely still be alive,” the forum said in a post on X.
“Netanyahu: Enough with the excuses. Enough with the rhetoric. Enough with the abandonment. The time has come to bring our hostages home, those who live for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their land,” the forum wrote.
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