Bodies of six Hamas-abducted Gaza hostages recovered

In a statement published on X, the IDF said the bodies of Carmel Gat, 40, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Alexander Lobanov, 33, Almog Sarusi, 27, and Ori Danino, 25, were found and recovered yesterday.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel's military spokesman, said on Sunday that they were “cruelly murdered shortly before their rescue.”

The Israeli army said the bodies were recovered from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, about 800 meters from where another hostage, 52-year-old Qaid Farhan Alkadi, was rescued alive last week.

All six were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, Ms. Gat from the farming community of Be'eri and the others from a nearby music festival.

The family of Mr Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage, confirmed his death in a statement on Sunday, just hours after the Israeli army said it had found bodies in Gaza.

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

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

President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the news.

In a statement, he said: “It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Do not worry, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

Mr Goldberg-Polin was one of the hostages kidnapped by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on October 7. He lost part of an arm in the attack.

His parents are perhaps the most high-profile relatives of the hostages on the international stage, meeting with Biden and Pope Francis and speaking at the United Nations.

On August 21, they spoke to a silent audience at the Democratic National Convention, where the crowd chanted, “Bring her home.”

A video released by Hamas in April showing Goldberg-Polin clearly speaking under duress sparked new protests in Israel calling on the government to do more to secure his freedom and that of others.

The announcement is sure to increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to release the remaining hostages. The Israeli president has said military pressure is needed to secure their release as efforts to reach a ceasefire stall.

A forum of hostage families called for mass protests on Sunday and demanded a “complete shutdown of the country” to force the implementation of a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

“A deal to release the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Without the delays, acts of sabotage and excuses, the people whose deaths we learned of this morning would likely still be alive. It is time to bring our hostages home,” it said in a statement.

Before this statement, Israel had stated that it believed that 108 hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip and that about a third of them were dead.