On Sunday, one day after the Israeli army uncovered the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Tel Aviv, demanding that the Israeli government negotiate a settlement to bring the other hostages home.
The Israeli Defense Forces identified the six hostages as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino. President Joe Biden stated that the prisoners’ bodies were found in a tunnel beneath Rafah. “I am devastated and outraged,” Biden added in his statement.
According to IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Hamas executed the six moments before Israeli forces arrived. Their bodies were discovered less than a mile from the tunnel where captive Qaid Farhan Alkadi was liberated earlier this week, he added. According to a spokeswoman for Israel’s Health Ministry, the six were slain on Thursday or Friday. “Since Farhan’s identification, the forces have been ordered to act with greater caution, more so than typical, recognizing that there might be more hostages in the area,” the commander stated. “We did not know the precise position of the hostages.” Hagari conveyed his condolences to the hostages’ families.
Hostages were taken from Festivals and Houses:
Goldberg-Polin, 23, was among those arrested after the attack on the Supernova music festival in the Israeli desert. He lost his arm in a grenade blast. “The Goldberg-Polin family is heartbroken to report the passing of their beloved son and sibling, Hersh. “The family expresses gratitude for your love and support and requests privacy at this time,” a family representative stated.
His parents have been public and ardent advocates for bringing the hostages home, including making an impassioned request for his release during the Democratic National Convention.
Gat, 40, was abducted from her parents’ home on kibbutz Be’eri. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum reports that she was a Tel Aviv-based occupational therapist. According to the group, the returned captives praised her as “their guardian angel” who taught them meditation and yoga while in captivity.
“She loved solo travel, meeting new people, live rock music concerts, and was particularly fond of Radiohead,” stated a forum participant. According to the forum, Yerushalmi, 24, of Tel Aviv, was employed as a bartender at the Nova music festival. She enjoyed her family, Pilates, animals, and dancing, according to a video uploaded on an Instagram account dedicated to pushing for her return home.
Danino, 25, of Jerusalem, was also kidnapped at the festival, according to the Israeli Embassy in the United States, which stated that he “helped others escape before being captured himself.” According to the site, he was the eldest of five siblings and intended to study electrical engineering.
Hamas condemns:
Messages of sadness and fury from Biden administration officials and politicians began to arrive late Saturday after Goldberg-Polin’s death was confirmed. Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her condolences for Goldberg-Polin’s passing, adding that her prayers are with his parents and “everyone who knew and loved Hersh.” She blasted Hamas as “an evil terrorist organization” with “even more American blood on its hands.” Goldberg-Polin’s parents, like the families of other hostages, have repeatedly encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government, and the international community to concentrate on their loved ones’ suffering. During Netanyahu’s visit to Washington in July, Goldberg-Polin’s parents rallied with the families of other American captives to demand that the hostages be returned immediately.
Assault on Netanyahu:
Netanyahu is under increasing pressure in Israel and around the world to achieve a cease-fire agreement with Hamas that would ensure the release of the captives and end the war in Gaza. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated on Saturday that Netanyahu had “abandoned the abductees!” This is now a fact.
Over 1,200 people were killed in Israel, and approximately 250 others were kidnapped during Hamas’ terrorist operation on October 7. The devastation and humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, where health experts say Israel’s military onslaught has killed more than 40,000 people, has sparked international condemnation and isolated Netanyahu in the global arena.
In the ten months since the attack, some captives were released through diplomatic negotiations; others were rescued during IDF operations, and some were slain or died in captivity. The captives’ ordeal has roiled Israeli society, generating protests and fury that Netanyahu has yet to reach a cease-fire agreement that will allow them to return home.
