Israel Defense Forces reported that during the operation in Gaza Strip was found bodies of six people: Hersza Goldberga-Polina (23 l.), Eden Jeruszalmi (24 l.), Ori Danino (25 l.), Alexa Lubnova (32 l.), Carmel Gat (40 l.) or Almoga Sarusi (27 l.).
Gaza War: Israeli Army Discovers Bodies of Six Hostages Joe Biden Speaks Out
– In the tunnel under the city Rafah Israeli forces regained the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas – he stated Joe Bidenadding that one of them – Godberg-Polin – was US citizen. The American president stressed that he was “devastated and outraged.”
According to an Israeli army spokesman, the hostages were “brutally murdered” by members of a Palestinian terrorist organization. Hamas already shortly before the arrival of the troops.
– Initial assessment is that they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them. They were kidnapped alive on the morning of October 7 by Hamas members. Their bodies were discovered in tunnel during the fighting in the city of Rafah – about a kilometer from the tunnel from which a few days ago we saved (another hostage – ed.) Farhan Alkadi – he said at a press conference Daniel Hagari.
He added that since Alkadi was found, the soldiers have placed even greater emphasis on cautious action, suspecting that there might be more hostages nearby. – We had no information about their exact location – added Hagari. The military official also mentioned that Israeli soldiers fought Hamas fighters on the ground, above the tunnel.
Israel's War with Hamas: Still No Agreement on Ceasefire and Hostage Release
Hostage and Missing Persons Families Forum maintains that the six people in question could have been saved if the government Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement with Hamas. As reported by Army Radio, three of the hostages killed were on “humanitarian” list people who were to be released in the first phase of the agreement with Hamas.
As the Times of Israel summarizes, the Gaza Strip currently remains 97 Israeli hostagesof which 33 people are no longer supposed to live.
October 7th while attack on Israel Hamas kidnapped approximately 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip. At the end of November – during a week-long truce – the terrorists released 105 civiliansand before that four people. Israeli soldiers saved eight live hostages and they found the bodies 37 – in this three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military while trying to escape.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilianswho entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers Israel Defense Forces killed in 2014
The aforementioned website also cites a comment from an anonymous Israeli official involved in negotiations on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza StripHe said Sunday's discovery of the bodies of six people shows that “that military pressure without a parallel diplomatic initiative sentences hostages to death.”
Source: Times of Israel, Army Radio, IDF