The recovery of the bodies of six hostages kidnapped on October 7 has sparked outrage, frustration, and sadness in Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted the operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27, were found. Goldberg-Polin was an Israeli-American citizen.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that the hostages were “brutally murdered” by Hamas terrorists shortly before the IDF reached them, possibly within one or two days. The operation was another daring tunnel mission to locate hostages in the conflict zone.
“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 at a press briefing. Their bodies were discovered in a tunnel in Rafah, around a kilometer from where another hostage, Farhan al-Qadi, was rescued just days earlier.
Farhan al-Qadi’s rescue was a rare moment of hope amid the grim news of more than one hundred hostages still believed to be held by Hamas. He had been moved from tunnel to tunnel, and when his captors heard Israeli soldiers approaching, they fled, leaving him behind. Al-Qadi, fearing he might be mistaken for an enemy combatant, called out, “Don’t shoot! I’m Farhan.” The soldiers responded cautiously and safely rescued him.
Hagari noted that following al-Qadi’s rescue, IDF troops were instructed to operate even more cautiously, suspecting more hostages might be nearby. However, they had no precise information about the location of the six hostages. Their bodies, found 20 meters underground, were extracted and positively identified back in Israel. Hagari clarified that their deaths were not caused by a firefight in the tunnel.
President Joe Biden expressed being “devastated and outraged” by the murders, especially of dual Israeli-US citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin. “I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death,” Biden said. He condemned the killings as “tragic” and “reprehensible” and vowed that Hamas leaders “will pay for these crimes.” Biden reaffirmed his commitment to work tirelessly to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
This latest discovery comes just weeks after six other deceased hostages were recovered on August 20, bringing the total number of returned bodies to 12 in less than two weeks. The families of the victims have expressed anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of prioritizing military action against Hamas over negotiating a deal for the hostages’ release. Protests are expected to intensify in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
In response to the criticism, Netanyahu stated on Sunday, “Whoever murders hostages – does not want a deal.”