The Israeli military (IDF) said it had located and recovered the bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino on Saturday from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip and returned them to Israel.
โThey were all taken hostage on October 7th and were murdered by the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip,โ said an IDF statement.
โFollowing an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel police, and the IDF military rabbinate, the IDF manpower directorateโs hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families.”
โThe IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families. The IDF and Israeli security forces are operating with all means to bring home all the hostages as fast as possible,โ it added.
Family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, had a few hours earlier confirmed his death after Israel initially announced the discovery of as-yet unidentified bodies during combat.
The US President, Joe Biden, followed up the familyโs announcement with a statement saying the body of Goldberg-Polin was among six recovered in Gaza.
โEarlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas,โ Biden said, adding, โWe have now confirmed that one of the hostages โฆ was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.โ
Biden, who had met with Goldberg-Polinโs parents, stated he was โdevastated and outragedโ.
โIt 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.โ
The family issued their statement early on Sunday.
โWith broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,โ it said, adding, โThe family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.โ
Goldberg-Polin was one of the best-known hostages as his parents had met with world leaders and pressed relentlessly for their help. Last month, they addressed the Democratic convention, where the crowd chanted: โBring them home.โ
At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israelโs military offensive in the Gaza Strip since 7 October, the Palestinian territoryโs health ministry announced in a statement on Saturday.
The war was triggered when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked the occupied territories, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.