Israel Identifies 6 Hostages Killed in Gaza During Rescue Mission

Jerusalem: Six hostages that were found dead in the Gaza Tunnel near Rafah, have been identified by Israel; one of these six hostages, who were taken by Hamas from the music festival during the October 7 attack was an Israeli-American. US President Joe Biden has also issued a statement, mourning the loss of the US citizen who was held hostage.

Israel Identifies 6 Hostages Found Dead in Gaza Tunnel

Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas as his parents met with world leaders and pressed for his release, including at the Democratic convention last month.

The military said all six had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces trying to rescue them. The army identified the hostages as Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; and Alexander Lobanov, 33; who were also taken from the music festival. The sixth, Carmel Gat, 40, was abducted from the nearby farming community of Be'eri. The IDF and ISA located and recovered the bodies of these hostages from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip and returned them to Israeli territory.

Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the IDF Military Rabbinate, the IDF Manpower Directorate's Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families.

Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin One of Killed Hostages

Out of the six hostages killed, one of them was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct 7; he was 23.

The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him, his left hand missing and clearly speaking under duress, sparking new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure his and others’ freedom.

The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin announced the young man's death early Sunday, ending a relentless campaign by his parents to rescue him that included meetings with world leaders and an address to the Democratic convention last month.

Recovery of Hostages Spark Massive Protests Against CM Netanyahu

Their recovery sparked calls for mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who many families of hostages and much of the wider Israeli public blame for failing to bring them back alive in a deal with Hamas to end the 10-month-old war. Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for months.

A forum of hostage families called for a massive protest on Sunday, demanding a “complete halt of the country” to push for the implementation of a cease-fire and hostage release.“

A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive. It’s time to bring our hostages home,” it said in a statement.

(Inputs from AP)