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The Israeli military has identified the bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
The hostages, abducted during Hamas‘ Octoner 7 attack, were reportedly killed by their militant captors shortly before Israeli forces could rescue them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already facing urgent calls to negotiate a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages.
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, stated, “They were cruelly murdered shortly before we were to rescue them.”
The army identified the hostages as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, and Alexander Lobanov, all of whom were abducted from a music festival on October 7.
The sixth hostage, Carmel Gat, was taken from the nearby farming community of Be’eri.
The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin confirmed his death early Sunday, bringing an end to a tireless campaign by his parents to secure his release, which included meetings with world leaders and an address at the Democratic convention last month.
Goldberg-Polin, 23, had been captured by militants at the music festival in southern Israel and had lost part of his left arm to a grenade during the attack.
In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him missing his left hand and speaking under duress, which sparked new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure the hostages’ release.
“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” their statement read. “The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
President Joe Biden, who had met with Goldberg-Polin’s parents, expressed his sorrow in a statement.
“I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable,” Biden said. “They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express.”
Biden also emphasised the need for justice.
“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible,” he stated. “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.”
Israeli media began announcing the names of other hostages recovered in the operation, but these reports had not been immediately confirmed by the army. An official statement from the military was expected later Sunday.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents, US-born immigrants to Israel, became high-profile advocates on the international stage, meeting with figures like Pope Francis and addressing the United Nations to call for the release of all hostages.
On August 21, his parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention, a moment marked by sustained applause and chants of “bring him home.”
“This is a political convention. But needing our only son – and all of the cherished hostages – home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said his father, Jon Polin. His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, added, “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive.”
Both parents wore stickers displaying the number 320, representing the days their son had been held. The ritual of writing another day on a piece of tape was a stark reminder of their ongoing ordeal.
“I find it so remarkable how nauseating it is every single time,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin told The Associated Press in January, ahead of the 100-day mark. “And it’s good. I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want anybody to get used to the fact that these people are missing.”
She encouraged others around the world to adopt this ritual, not only for her son but for all the hostages and their families.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents sought to keep their son and the other hostages from being reduced to numbers. They described Hersh as a music lover, soccer enthusiast, and avid traveler with plans to attend university after his military service had ended.
At various events, Rachel often addressed her son directly, hoping he could hear her, “urging him to live another day.”
Before the latest discovery of bodies, Israel believed 108 hostages were still held in Gaza, and about one-third of them were dead. In late August, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages in southern Gaza.
Eight hostages have been rescued by Israeli forces, the most recent found on Tuesday. Most of the rest were freed during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Two previous Israeli operations to free hostages resulted in the deaths of scores of Palestinians.
Hamas reported that several hostages had been killed in Israeli airstrikes and failed rescue attempts. Israeli troops mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity in December.
The hostages, abducted during Hamas‘ Octoner 7 attack, were reportedly killed by their militant captors shortly before Israeli forces could rescue them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already facing urgent calls to negotiate a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages.
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, stated, “They were cruelly murdered shortly before we were to rescue them.”
The army identified the hostages as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, and Alexander Lobanov, all of whom were abducted from a music festival on October 7.
The sixth hostage, Carmel Gat, was taken from the nearby farming community of Be’eri.
The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin confirmed his death early Sunday, bringing an end to a tireless campaign by his parents to secure his release, which included meetings with world leaders and an address at the Democratic convention last month.
Goldberg-Polin, 23, had been captured by militants at the music festival in southern Israel and had lost part of his left arm to a grenade during the attack.
In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him missing his left hand and speaking under duress, which sparked new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure the hostages’ release.
“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” their statement read. “The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
President Joe Biden, who had met with Goldberg-Polin’s parents, expressed his sorrow in a statement.
“I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable,” Biden said. “They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express.”
Biden also emphasised the need for justice.
“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible,” he stated. “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.”
Israeli media began announcing the names of other hostages recovered in the operation, but these reports had not been immediately confirmed by the army. An official statement from the military was expected later Sunday.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents, US-born immigrants to Israel, became high-profile advocates on the international stage, meeting with figures like Pope Francis and addressing the United Nations to call for the release of all hostages.
On August 21, his parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention, a moment marked by sustained applause and chants of “bring him home.”
“This is a political convention. But needing our only son – and all of the cherished hostages – home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said his father, Jon Polin. His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, added, “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive.”
Both parents wore stickers displaying the number 320, representing the days their son had been held. The ritual of writing another day on a piece of tape was a stark reminder of their ongoing ordeal.
“I find it so remarkable how nauseating it is every single time,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin told The Associated Press in January, ahead of the 100-day mark. “And it’s good. I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want anybody to get used to the fact that these people are missing.”
She encouraged others around the world to adopt this ritual, not only for her son but for all the hostages and their families.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents sought to keep their son and the other hostages from being reduced to numbers. They described Hersh as a music lover, soccer enthusiast, and avid traveler with plans to attend university after his military service had ended.
At various events, Rachel often addressed her son directly, hoping he could hear her, “urging him to live another day.”
Before the latest discovery of bodies, Israel believed 108 hostages were still held in Gaza, and about one-third of them were dead. In late August, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages in southern Gaza.
Eight hostages have been rescued by Israeli forces, the most recent found on Tuesday. Most of the rest were freed during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Two previous Israeli operations to free hostages resulted in the deaths of scores of Palestinians.
Hamas reported that several hostages had been killed in Israeli airstrikes and failed rescue attempts. Israeli troops mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity in December.
