The hostages killed in the Gaza tunnel were supposed to be released as part of a prisoner exchange, officials claim – while Netanyahu promises to “settle accounts” with Hamas.

Three of the six hostages found dead in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip on Saturday were due to be released in a prisoner exchange on Sunday, a senior Hamas official said.

“Some of the names of the prisoners reported as found by the (Israeli) occupying forces … were part of the list of hostages released by Hamas” in a possible exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, the anonymous official said.

The remains of the hostages were recovered on Saturday “from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area” after the group spent more than 11 months in captivity following their kidnapping on October 7. Three of them were due to be released within days.

“Hersh, Carmel and Eden were all on the list of hostages to be released under the July 2 ceasefire proposal put forward by Biden. We could have saved them,” the official said.

Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the hostages were “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists” shortly before they were discovered by Israeli troops – possibly just a day or two before they were discovered.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin is one of six hostages whose bodies were recovered on Saturday. He was one of the victims taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 massacre.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, are pictured with their son

Alex Lobanov, 26, was the festival’s head barman

The military named the dead as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 39, Almog Sarusi, 26, Alex Lubnov, 26, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, 25.

They were among 251 hostages kidnapped during the attack by Palestinian militants on southern Israel on October 7.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “settle accounts” with Hamas after the military discovered the bodies of the hostages.

“Those who kill hostages do not want an agreement” for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said in a statement, telling Hamas leaders: “We will hunt you down, we will catch you and we will settle the score.”

Netanyahu said Israel was fighting “on all fronts against a cruel enemy that wants to murder us all,” citing an armed attack on Sunday near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank that killed three police officers.

Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but described it in a statement as a “heroic operation of the resistance.”

According to Netanyahu, “the fact that Hamas continues to commit atrocities like those of October 7 obliges us to do everything in our power to ensure that this is no longer possible,” referring to the Palestinian group's unprecedented attack on a music festival in southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

But senior Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said Israel was responsible for the deaths by refusing to sign a ceasefire.

Hamas has so far denied any responsibility for the deaths of the hostages and said the hostages were killed by “Zionist bombings.”

The BBC had previously been heavily criticised for giving a platform to a Palestinian leader who celebrated the October 7 massacre live on Radio 4's World at One programme on Wednesday, calling it a “glorious day”.

Following Saturday's tragic discovery, Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute on X (formerly Twitter) to the six hostages who lost their lives in a devastating manner.

“The heart of an entire nation has been torn to pieces… On behalf of the State of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart and apologize for not being able to bring them home safely.”

Herzog also defiantly reiterated that Israel will continue to fight “relentlessly” against Hamas.

“The blood of our brothers cries out to us. Our sisters and brothers are still there, enduring hell. The highest bond between the state and its citizens is to ensure their safety. We have a sacred and urgent mission to bring them home,” he concluded the post.

US President Joe Biden also sent a message saying he was “devastated and outraged” by the deaths.

Almog Sarusi, 26, was enjoying the party when Hamas terrorists attacked

Eden Yerushalmi was also kidnapped from the Nova music festival

Carmel Gat visited her family in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7

Ori Danino was captured by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival on October 7.

“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Don't worry, the Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” he said.

“And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement that will ensure the release of the remaining hostages.”

The Hostage and Missing Persons Families Forum expressed its sadness over the recent deaths and called for a ceasefire.

“Without the delays, sabotage and excuses, the people whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably still be alive,” the campaign group said.

The body of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin was recovered from a tunnel beneath the Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday, ten months after he was kidnapped in the atrocity that left 1,200 people dead.

“It is with broken hearts that the Goldberg-Polin family announces the passing of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” the family said in a statement.

“The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy during this time.”

Confirmation of all deaths was transmitted by Israel on X.

Five of those rescued had been attending the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists began slaughtering festival-goers and taking others hostage. Gat was in her family's kibbutz when she was captured.

Goldberg-Polin lost his arm when a grenade exploded during the bloodbath.

Israeli officials said it took “many hours” to identify the remains of the three men and three women recovered, Axios reported.

Just last month, Goldberg-Polin's parents Jon and Rachel spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and pleaded for their son's safe return.

Through tears, Rachel said, “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong and survive.”

Goldberg-Polin was born in Berkeley, California. His family moved to Richmond, Virginia, and immigrated to Israel in 2008, when Goldberg-Polin was seven years old.

At the time of his kidnapping, the Hamas victim was said to have been working on a soccer program designed to bring Israeli and Palestinian children together.

The brutal war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, when the Palestinian Islamist group attacked an Israeli music festival in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel's counter-offensives in the Gaza Strip, the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.