The bodies of six hostages abducted alive by Hamas on October 7 were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah a few days ago, shortly after they were murdered by terrorists, the Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday.
The hostages were Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27.
Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Lubnov, Sarusi and Danino (an off-duty noncommissioned officer) were abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, while Gat was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the six were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before troops arrived — possibly only a day or two before they were found.
“According to an initial assessment… they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short while before we reached them. They were abducted alive on the morning of October 7 by the Hamas terror group,” Hagari said in a press conference.
“Their bodies were found during the fighting in Rafah, in a tunnel, about a kilometer away from the tunnel from which we rescued Farhan al-Qadi a few days ago,” he said.
Protesters at a rally calling for the release of hostages outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, August 31, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)
The IDF said that it did not have the exact location of the hostages but had indications of a general area where the six could be held, and was therefore operating carefully in the area.
“Since Farhan was found, troops were given an emphasis on operating carefully even more than usual, because of the understanding that additional hostages may be in the area. We did not have information on the exact location of the hostages,” Hagari said.
Troops began to search a tunnel complex, some 20 meters underground, on Saturday and found the hostages, dead, in the afternoon. Their bodies were extracted from Gaza overnight and brought to Israel for identification.
Demonstrators lift placards and flags during a protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage in Gaza since October, in Tel Aviv on August 31, 2024 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
The IDF said there were no clashes with Hamas terrorists inside the tunnel, and the guards who likely murdered the six had fled the area. However, troops battled terror operatives aboveground in the area where the tunnel was located.
US President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the deaths of the hostages, in particular that of dual Israeli-US citizen Goldberg-Polin, whose parents, Jon and Rachel, he and other Americans had kept in their prayers.
“I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death,” Biden said.
“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages,” he said.
US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters outside of St. Edmond’s Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware after attending a mass, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US vice president and presidential nominee Kamala Harris expressed her condolences to the Goldberg-Polin family, and reiterated that Hamas now has “even more American blood on its hands.”
“Doug and my prayers are with Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s parents, and with everyone who knew and loved Hersh,” Harris said in a statement.
“When I met with Jon and Rachel earlier this year, I told them: You are not alone. That remains true as they mourn this terrible loss,” she said. “Hamas is an evil terrorist organization. With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands.”
Herzog: Heart of the entire nation is crushed
In a brief statement, Goldberg-Polin’s family said that they had “broken hearts.”
“The Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” they said in an announcement. “The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Rachel Goldberg, left, and Jon Polin center, parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, along with other relatives of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas take part in a protest calling for their release in the Kibbutz Nirim, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)
Gat’s cousin Gil Dickmann, a prominent voice among those campaigning for the release of the hostages, called on the public to take to the streets.
“The nightmare came true. It was in our hands. Get out of your homes to stop the next murder,” he wrote on X.
President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that the “heart of an entire nation is crushed into pieces” with the announcement of the deaths of the hostages.
“In the name of the entire State of Israel, I hold their families in my heart and ask forgiveness. Forgiveness for not being able to return your loved ones home safely,” he said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “During this painful and difficult time, my thoughts and my heart are with the families of the hostages who were killed.”
There was no public comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Family members and supporters stand next to pictures of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, during a protest outside the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem, August 30, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 )
The announcement of the return of the bodies, which came after other bodies of captives were recently returned from the Strip, drew immediate furious reactions against Netanyahu and his government, who have been accused of failing to secure a deal to return the hostages and thus abandoning them to their deaths.
Hostage families’ forum denounces PM, urges protests
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a prominent activist group representing many relatives of abductees held in Gaza, announced major protests Sunday, as the crisis neared its 12th month.
The organization said a protest was to be held in Jerusalem at 4 p.m. while the cabinet meets, followed by a large 7 p.m. demonstration in Tel Aviv outside the Kirya defense headquarters.
“If it weren’t for the saboteurs, the excuses, and the spin, the hostages whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive,” the forum said in a post on X.
“Netanyahu: Enough with the excuses. Enough with the spin. Enough with the abandonment. The time has come to bring our hostages home — those living for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their land,” the forum wrote.
A protester wearing a mask of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a sign that says, “I added clauses [to the hostage deal] and hostages died. Sorry,” while kneeling over mock bodies of dead hostages, at Tel Aviv’s Begin Gate on August 31, 2024. (Neta Dekel/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
The announcement of the hostages’ deaths came just days after Netanyahu reportedly told Gallant that he was prioritizing his stance of maintaining Israeli troops in the Philadelphi Corridor over saving the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
The stance was shared during a heated security cabinet meeting in which the premier had the top ministerial body vote to approve a series of maps drawn up by the IDF, which showed how Israel aims to keep its troops deployed in the corridor during the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire being negotiated.
“You are deciding to stay in the Philadelphi Corridor. Is this logical to you? There are living [hostages] there!” Gallant exclaimed.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer replied, “The prime minister can do as he likes.”
Gallant responded, “The prime minister can indeed make all the decisions, and he can also decide to kill all the hostages.”
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Mossad chief David Barnea also raised concerns about the prime minister’s strategy, with the military chief saying that the defense establishment would not have an issue with a temporary withdrawal during a ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (foreground) and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant hold a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, December 16, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 now remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
On July 25, the IDF announced the recovery of the bodies of five captives: Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20.
On August 20, the military recovered the remains of six others: Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.
And on Wednesday, the army said it had returned the body of an Israeli soldier who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7. At the request of the family, that hostage’s name was not immediately permitted for publication.
On Tuesday, hostage al-Qadi was rescued alive from the Strip. After returning home, he said he had told Netanyahu it was time to “put an end” to the saga of the hostages, urging the public to “do everything — demonstrations, everything — to get the people home.”
