1-9-2024 (JERUSALEM) The Israeli military announced on Sunday the recovery of six hostages’ bodies from a tunnel in southern Gaza. The grim discovery has cast a pall over ongoing efforts to secure the release of remaining captives and intensified calls for a resolution to the protracted conflict.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli military, delivered the sombre news in a briefing to reporters. “Our initial assessment suggests these individuals were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before our forces reached them,” Hagari stated, his voice heavy with emotion.
The recovered bodies were identified as those of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino. Among them was Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American whose fate had been closely followed by US President Joe Biden.
This is a very difficult morning here in Israel.
Carmel, Ori, Eden, Almog, Alex, Hersh.
Murdered in cold blood by Hamas while in captivity.
May their memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/OAdZg8ZxB2
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 1, 2024
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden expressed his anguish: “I am devastated and outraged by this horrific act.” The President praised the courage and resilience of Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, describing them as “relentless and irrepressible champions” for their son and all hostages.
This tragic discovery comes on the heels of a successful rescue operation that saw Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel, freed from captivity approximately one kilometre from where the bodies were found.
Hagari revealed that following Alkadi’s rescue, troops were instructed to exercise heightened caution due to the possibility of other hostages in the vicinity. However, he noted that precise information on the hostages’ location had been lacking.
The conflict, which erupted on October 7th following a Hamas attack on Israel, has exacted a devastating toll. Israeli figures indicate 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 individuals taken hostage in the initial assault. The subsequent military offensive in Gaza has resulted in staggering Palestinian casualties, with the enclave’s health ministry reporting 40,691 deaths and 94,060 injuries as of Saturday.
As news of the recovered bodies spread, renewed calls for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement have intensified. President Biden, speaking to reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, expressed cautious optimism about ongoing negotiations. “I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement,” he stated. “It’s time this war ended.”
Vice President Kamala Harris echoed these sentiments, condemning Hamas’s actions and reaffirming the administration’s commitment to securing the release of all hostages.
