The Israeli military today announced that it had found the bodies of six hostages in an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. The dead included an American-Israeli and a Russian-Israeli citizen. The Israeli military claimed that the hostages were brutally murdered by Hamas shortly before security forces reached them.
The hostages have been identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarousi and Ori Danino, who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during their brutal attack on southern Israel on October 7. The attack not only ignited the ongoing war but also led to the kidnapping of 251 individuals, 97 of whom are still captive, including 33 whom the Israeli military believes are dead.
“A few hours ago, we informed the families that the bodies of their loved ones were found by IDF soldiers in an underground tunnel in Rafah. According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before our arrival there,” Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
It is a very difficult morning in Israel today.
Carmel, Ori, Eden, Almog, Alex, Hersh.
He was brutally murdered by Hamas while in captivity.
May his memory remain a blessing. pic.twitter.com/OAdZg8ZxB2
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 1, 2024
The hostages were reportedly captured alive on October 7, and their bodies were found during combat operations in Rafah, about a kilometer away from a tunnel from which another hostage, Farhan Alqadi, was rescued just days earlier. Hagari claimed that the IDF was acting with extreme caution, knowing that there could be more hostages in the area. However, he did not have precise information about the exact location of the hostages.
The discovery of the bodies comes amid an ongoing battle in Rafah, where IDF troops continue to clash with Hamas fighters.
“This morning, our hearts are broken along with the families of Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarousi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat and Eden Yerushalmi,” Hagari said. “It is impossible to put into words what the hostages have suffered in Hamas captivity for 331 days since October 7, and what their families are going through. This morning, the news shakes us all.”
Of the six victims, Gat was abducted from the southern Israeli kibbutz community of Biri, and the others, aged between 23 and 32, were kidnapped from a music festival near the Gaza border.
