- In a recent development, the Israeli military discovers six additional individuals, reportedly captives, dead in the Gaza region.
The Israeli military has reportedly found the cadavers of six individuals who were captives of the radical Islamic group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security service recovered the bodies on Saturday from a tunnel beneath Rafah in southern Gaza, as per the military's statement on Sunday. It was mentioned that these individuals were allegedly abducted by Hamas during an assault on October 7 of the previous year. According to the army spokesman Daniel Hagari, the group was reportedly barbarically executed by Hamas terrorists just before the rescue operation commenced.
The deceased included four men - Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), Alexander Lobanov (32), Almog Sarusi (27), and Ori Danino (25) - and two women - Carmel Gat (40) and Eden Jeruschalmi (24). The organization Forum of Families of the Abducted and Missing claimed that at least five of the six victims were abducted on October 7 during the Nova Music Festival in the Negev desert, which was taking place close to the Gaza Strip border.
Families Accuse Government for Hostages' Demise
The Forum of Families of the Hostages and Missing expressed its condolences while once again urging the Israeli government to declare a ceasefire. "Without unnecessary delays, sabotage, and justifications, the individuals whose deaths were announced this morning might still be alive," the group stated.
The German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, shared his thoughts on social media, stating, "We're all now informed about the tragic news that six more hostages have been found, murdered by Hamas."
During a week-long ceasefire in late November, Hamas had released 105 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing 240 Palestinian prisoners from prisons. Suspecting that some hostages were still in Gaza, Israel had continued large-scale military operations in the area since October. Reports suggest that over 40,600 individuals have died due to these operations, according to Hamas, although this cannot be independently confirmed.
U.S. President Joe Biden had previously confirmed that Dual U.S. and Israeli citizen Goldberg-Polin was among the deceased before the confirmation by the Israeli army. Following the Democratic Party convention in Chicago, his mother, Rachel Goldberg, had spoken about their son's plight and said, "Among the hostages are eight American citizens, and one of them is our only son."
Families Attempt to Reach Hostages in Gaza Strip
On Thursday, Goldberg-Polin's parents and other family members of hostages gathered at the Gaza Strip border to try and communicate with their loved ones using a loudspeaker. Goldberg-Polin's mother, Rachel, addressed her son Tim, saying, "Hersh, this is Mom. I pray to God that he brings you back right now. I love you, stay strong."
In response to the major attack on the Nova Music Festival, Hamas had released a video in April featuring Goldberg-Polin. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages to Hamas. Goldberg-Polin was reportedly severely injured during the attack and subsequently kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.
In the video, he was seen wearing a red shirt and sitting on a plastic chair with his left arm amputated. Goldberg-Polin had said, "I wanted to hang out with my friends and found myself fighting for my life with serious injuries all over my body."
Since the operation, Israel has been conducting extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip. Reports indicate that Hamas claims that over 40,600 individuals have lost their lives since then, though this cannot be independently verified.
The Israeli government has been urged by the Forum of Families of the Hostages and Missing to declare a ceasefire, stating that "without unnecessary delays, sabotage, and justifications, the individuals whose deaths were announced this morning might still be alive."
The Israeli military, in its statement, referred to the six individuals as 'cadavers,' using the word 'The' at the beginning of this phrase.
