Hamas does not want a ceasefire, says Netanyahu after finding six dead hostages

He said the news of the hostages' deaths had broken him deeply. The Israeli military had previously stated that the hostages had been “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before our arrival.”

The Israel Defense Forces 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 on Saturday.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of killing them “in cold blood” and said Israel would hold the group accountable. He also accused the group of thwarting ongoing ceasefire efforts.

“Anyone who murders hostages doesn’t want a deal,” he said.

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.

Critics in Israel accused Netanyahu of delaying ceasefire talks – a charge he denies.

Israeli television Channel 12 reported that he had a heated argument with his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, last week. Gallant accused him of putting control of a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border – a major sticking point in the talks – above the lives of the hostages.

Hamas has offered the release of the hostages in exchange for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, blamed Israel and the United States for the hostages' deaths. He said they would still be alive if Israel had accepted a ceasefire proposal that Hamas agreed to in July. He did not mention the hostages by name.

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.”

Israel's largely ceremonial President Isaac Herzog said: “The heart of an entire nation has been torn to pieces.”

Defense Secretary Gallant said: “On behalf of the State of Israel, their families are near and dear to my heart and I ask for forgiveness.”

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

He added: “It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Don't worry, the 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.”

Vice President Kamala Harris also released a statement offering her prayers to the Goldberg-Polin family and condemning Hamas.

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.

Before the death toll was announced, Israel had stated that it believed there were still 108 hostages in the Gaza Strip and that about a third of them were dead.