Murdered by Hamas: IDF Recovers Six Hostages’ Bodies from Southern Gaza

September 2, 2024

by: Joshua Marks and Amelie Botbol ~ JNS

Monday, 2 September 2024 | Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from an underground tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza overnight Saturday.

The hostages were identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 25; Alexander Lobanov, 32; Carmel Gat, 40; and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25.

“A few hours ago, we informed the families that the bodies of their loved ones had been located by Israel Defense Forces [IDF] troops in a tunnel in Rafah. According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them,” said IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

All six were kidnapped alive during the Hamas-led assault on the northwestern Negev on October 7.

On October 7, Yerushalmi was working as a bartender at the Supernova music festival. She initially hid in a car, motionless alongside the bodies of friends who had been shot and killed. She then went into the bushes where she remained hidden for hours while on the phone with her family, and was taken by Hamas terrorists from there.

Gat was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri while visiting her parents for the Simchat Torah [Rejoicing in the Torah] holiday. Hamas terrorists murdered her mother, Kinneret. Her brother Alon, sister-in-law Yarden Roman-Gat and niece Geffen were also captured. Her brother and niece were able to escape while her sister-in-law was released as part of weeklong ceasefire that freed 105 hostages in November.

Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped by Hamas from the Supernova festival. He tried to escape by car but realized that terrorists were setting up roadblocks and shooting at approaching vehicles. He instead ran to a nearby bomb shelter. Soon, Hamas terrorists converged on the tiny space, murdering most inside and kidnapping those who survived. Before he was taken, Goldberg-Polin’s dominant right arm was blown off at the elbow by a grenade. His parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, recently called for his release at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Lobanov was kidnapped from the music festival where he worked as head barman. His wife, Michal, was pregnant when he was taken and has since given birth to the couple’s second child.

Danino was also kidnapped from the site of the festival. He had escaped but went back to help rescue Omer Shem Tov and siblings Itay and Maya Regev. The Regev siblings were released during November’s ceasefire while Omer and Ori remained in captivity.

Sarusi was kidnapped from the festival while his partner, Shahar Gindi, was murdered.

‘The blood of our brothers’

“Together with the entire nation, my wife and I share in the families’ deep mourning,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. “I would like to express deep appreciation for our forces, for the brave IDF soldiers and ISA [Shin Bet] fighters, who risked their lives in order to return our sons and daughters.

“I say to the Hamas terrorists who murdered our hostages and I say to their leaders: You will pay the price,” continued the premier. “We will not rest, nor will be silent. We will pursue you, we will find you and we will settle accounts with you.”

President Isaac Herzog said that “the heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces with the news…On behalf of the State of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart, and apologize for failing to bring them home safely.

“The blood of our brothers cries out to us. Our sisters and brothers are still there enduring hell. The supreme covenant between the state and its citizens is to ensure their safety. We have the sacred and urgent mission to bring them home,” added Herzog.

President Joe Biden stated that he was “devastated and outraged” after the body of US dual citizen Goldberg-Polin was identified.

“Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” Biden vowed, adding that the United States “will keep working around the clock” to secure a ceasefire deal to release the rest of the hostages.

Netanyahu spoke with Lobanov’s parents, expressing deep sorrow and apologizing for not being able to save their son and the five other abductees alive, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“I would like to tell you how much I regret and request forgiveness for not succeeding in bringing Sasha back alive,” he told Oxana and Grigory.

During the conversation, it was revealed that the prime minister’s military secretary Brig. Gen. Roman Gofman returned from Moscow on Sunday, where he discussed advancing a hostage deal and talked about Lobanov and other captives.

The Prime Minister’s Office added that Netanyahu will talk with other relatives of the hostages killed during the day.

The hostages were found in a 65-foot-deep [19-m.] tunnel with gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of their bodies.

According to the autopsies performed overnight, they were murdered in the past 48 hours. One of the hostages showed signs of being tied up and they all showed evidence of neglect and having not bathed for a long time.

In addition, there was evidence that they sustained injuries during their kidnapping that were treated over time.

The hostages are believed to have been transported from the northern Gaza Strip to the south, where they were murdered.

Last month, the IDF and Shin Bet recovered the bodies of six other hostages kidnapped on October 7, from a tunnel in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The bodies of Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri and Alex Dancyg were located more than 10 months after the Hamas massacre.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces rescued a hostage alive from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, a father of 11 from the Bedouin city of Rahat in the Negev, was rescued from a tunnel in southern Gaza, less than a mile [1.6 km] from where the six bodies were recovered.

A day later, the IDF recovered the body of a soldier who was killed fighting Hamas terrorists during the October 7 invasion.

At the request of the soldier’s family, his name has not yet been made public.

Posted on September 2, 2024

Source: (Excerpt from an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 1, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum/jns.org