Israeli forces discovered the bodies of six hostages in a 65-foot-deep tunnel in Rafah, approximately a kilometer from where hostage Farhan Alkadi was recently freed. The IDF had no precise intelligence on the hostages' location in recent months but knew there were captives in the sector, leading to a gradual and cautious operation in Rafah since the ground offensive began.
There was no direct confrontation with the Hamas terrorists who killed the hostages, as they had fled the scene. It is possible they were killed in the ongoing above-ground fighting in thectore s. Once the bodies were found, they were brought to the Israeli border, where police and military rabbinical teams confirmed their identities at 4 a.m.
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From top left: Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat and Almog Sarusi
(Photo: Courtesy)
The six hostages—Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat—were transferred from northern Gaza to Rafah, where they were murdered.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also announced on Sunday that troops "have located and recovered the bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Sgt. 1st Class Ori Danino. They were kidnapped on October 7 and murdered by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. After an identification process conducted by the National Center of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the Military Rabbinate, the Hostage Recovery Team in the IDF’s Personnel Directorate notified the families. The IDF and security forces are doing everything possible to bring all hostages home as quickly as possible. Words cannot describe the suffering endured by these hostages since October 7. This news shakes us all."
When asked by Ynet whether the discovery of the bodies might influence the IDF's recommendation to pursue a deal, the spokesperson responded, "In closed rooms, the political leadership makes decisions, and we will implement them."
It is believed that this is the second instance where Hamas terrorists have killed hostages and fled, as signs of gunfire were also found on the bodies of other hostages previously returned to Israel for burial.
Carmel Gat was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri, while the others were taken from the Nova music festival. Danino was an off-duty soldier attending the festival. An Israeli official familiar with the details of the negotiations commented on the discovery of the bodies, saying, "Three of them were on a list that Hamas had agreed to return. In fact, it could have been approved on July 2. Hersh was agreed upon because he was wounded, as were Carmel and Eden."