Bodies of six Israeli hostages found in a tunnel in southern Gaza

The bodies of six young Israeli hostages who had been abducted alive by Hamas on 7 October have been discovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

They were found a few days after they were killed by the terrorists, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

The identified hostages are Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Ori Danino, 25; Alex Lubnov, 32; Carmel Gat, 40; and Almog Sarusi, 27.

Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Lubnov, Sarusi and Danino were taken from the Nova music festival. Gat was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that the six hostages were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before the troops arrived – possibly only a day or two before their bodies were found.

“Based on an initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them. These individuals were taken alive on the morning of 7 October by the Hamas terror group,” he said during a press conference.

Their bodies were found during ongoing military operations in Rafah, in a tunnel less than a mile from where Farhan al-Qadi was rescued by IDF forces a few days earlier.

The IDF said there were no clashes with Hamas terrorists in the tunnel, and the guards who likely murdered the six had fled the area. However, troops battled terror operatives above ground in the area where the tunnel was located.

US President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the murder of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen.

In a statement released immediately after the Goldberg-Polin family confirmed Hersh’s death, Biden said he would continue to press “around the clock” for a ceasefire deal that would result in the release of the remaining hostages. There are now fewer than 100 hostages in Gaza, of whom dozens are known to be dead.

Biden, whose personal history of loss has gained him a reputation as “consoler-in-chief,” also noted that he had gotten to know Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, through the ordeal and was mourning with them. Here is his complete statement:

Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas. We have now confirmed that one of the hostages killed by these vicious Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world.

I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable. 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. I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will.

I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. 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.

Since the release of more than 100 hostages in a temporary ceasefire in November, Goldberg-Polin was one of eight hostages with U.S. citizenship, of whom three were previously known to be dead.