Six Hostage Bodies Retrieved In Gaza, Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin Among Them

The bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were retrieved by the Israeli military on Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The bodies of two women and four men who were captured by Hamas during the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel were discovered during an operation in southern Gaza, according to The Wall Street Journal. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the IDF confirmed the identities of Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 40, Almog Sarusi, 27, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25 and 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin.

“They were all taken hostage on October 7 and were murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization while in captivity in Gaza. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families. Israeli security forces are operating with all means to bring home all the hostages as fast as possible,” the IDF wrote.

While all hostages were initially believed to be alive, the IDF discovered six bodies in a Rafah tunnel less than a mile from where Israeli forces rescued hostage Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi on Tuesday, according to the WSJ. Although Israeli troops were unaware of the six hostages’ location at the time, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told the outlet they were “cruelly murdered by Hamas just a short time before” the troops arrived.

Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Jon and Rachel, recently appeared on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) stage, calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The 23-year-old hostage was last seen alive in a video from April after being captured by Hamas at the Nova music festival in southern Israel, the WSJ reported.

“What’s hard for all of the families is we feel that there is not a sense of urgency in terms of the negotiators,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin had told the WSJ last month. “I don’t know that my son will live another week.”

With Hamas still holding 101 hostages, the discovery increases tension as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers a potential deal with the terrorist group to secure their release. On Sunday, Netanyahu released a video statement expressing his “personal commitment” to bringing the remaining hostages home and called out Hamas for obstructing negotiations.

“Whoever murdered our abductees – does not want a deal,” Netanyahu wrote in his post.

In a statement released by the terrorist group, Hamas blamed the deaths on both Israel and the U.S.

“The entity that kills our people daily is the occupation with American weapons, and the discovery of the bodies of prisoners in the Gaza Strip was a result of Zionist bombings,” Hamas stated, according to the WSJ.