Chancellor Scholz conveys feelings of sadness and outrage following the unearthed demise of six Hamas captives.
Once more, it becomes crystal clear: A temporary truce, allowing the freedom of all Hamas-held captives to ensue, ought to be our utmost concern now. Other issues should yield to this priority, the Chancellor declared.
As per Israeli army reports, the hostages' bodies were discovered in a tunnel in Rafah, situated in the southern Gaza Strip. Identified are Hersh Goldberg-Polin (aged 23-40), Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino. Revealed by army spokesman Daniel Hagari, their corpses were discovered during the clashes in Rafah. "They were mercilessly murdered by Hamas terrorists on the brink of our arrival," stated Hagari.
Prior to the discovery, the German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, offered his sympathies to the families. "We're now faced with the heart-wrenching news of six more deceased hostages, murdered by Hamas. One of them was Carmel Gat," he penned in English on X.
Gat's German-Israeli sister-in-law, Yarden Roman-Gat, was liberated in November following the sole hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas up until now.
Goldberg-Polin holds both Israeli and US citizenship, while Lobanov holds dual Russian-Israeli citizenship. Five of the hostages were abducted during the Hamas mass attack on the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7.
Gat was targeted from Kibbutz Beeri. The 40-year-old yoga instructor resided in Tel Aviv but had come to visit her parents in the kibbutz when Hamas carried out its synchronized large-scale attack on various locations in southern Israel.
In the ghastly attack, Islamists claimed the lives of 1205 individuals and held 251 hostages captive in the Gaza Strip as per Israeli sources. 97 hostages remain in the custody of Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, with 33 reportedly deceased. In retaliation to the Hamas attack, Israel has implemented extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip. As per Hamas (unverifiable reports), over 40,700 people have perished since October.
The bodies of the six hostages were found in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip, specifically in Rafah. The German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, expressed his sympathies to the families following this tragic event.
