Israel Discovers Bodies of Six Hostages in Gaza Tunnel, Including Dual Nationals
Israel Discovers Bodies of Six Hostages in Gaza Tunnel, Including Dual Nationals
The Israeli military announced on Sunday the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel located in the southern Gaza Strip, among them a US-Israeli and a Russian-Israeli national. The remains were recovered on Saturday from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area and were subsequently brought back to Israel for formal identification.
The victims have been identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino. All were taken hostage by Palestinian militants during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, which sparked the ongoing conflict.
Gat was abducted from the Beeri kibbutz in southern Israel, while the other five hostages, aged between 23 and 32, were captured during a music festival near the Gaza border. These six individuals were part of the 251 people taken hostage during the initial attack, of whom 97 are still in captivity, including 33 who the Israeli army believes are deceased.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that the six hostages were alive when they were taken by Hamas. “They were held hostage and brutally murdered in cold blood,” Gallant said. Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari added, “They were killed by Hamas terrorists shortly before our forces arrived.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed the nation’s grief, stating, “The heart of an entire nation is shattered. Our sacred mission remains to bring home our brothers and sisters still enduring unimaginable suffering.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group advocating for the release of captives, criticized delays in negotiations for a deal to secure the return of the remaining hostages. “A deal for their release has been on the table for months. If it weren’t for the delays, those whose deaths were confirmed today could still be alive,” the group stated.
Among the six victims, Goldberg-Polin held dual US-Israeli citizenship, while Lobanov was a Russian-Israeli national. Goldberg-Polin had been seen alive in a video released by his captors in April.
Negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages have so far failed to yield results, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of causing the delays. The attack on October 7 claimed 1,205 lives, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Meanwhile, Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The UN has reported that the majority of the casualties are women and children.
