Israel recovers bodies of six hostages, including Israeli American

Israel’s military said it recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including an Israeli American who became a well-known captive as his parents publicly urged for his release during the months-long war.

The Israeli military said Sunday the six hostages were killed by Hamas shortly before forces reached them in an underground tunnel in Rafah.

The bodies of those recovered were Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi and Alex Lobanov, military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing. Their bodies were brought back to Israeli territory for identification before their families were informed.

Goldberg-Polin, a native of Berkeley, Calif., was taken along with four of the other hostages during a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, The Associated Press reported.

He became one of the faces of the mass kidnappings on Oct. 7, which included about 250 others who were taken and brought back to Gaza.

The parents of Goldberg-Polin, 23, spoke at last month’s Democratic National Convention, where they pushed for a hostage-release deal.

“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh. The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time,” the family said in a statement Sunday.

The recovery of the six bodies prompted further calls for a cease-fire and hostage release deal to end the 10-month-old war as negotiations drag on between Israel, Hamas and international mediators.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom some Israels have blamed for failing to bring the hostages back alive with a deal, said Sunday that Hamas members will “pay the price,” for their deaths.

“We will not rest, nor will be silent. We will pursue you, we will find you and we will settle accounts with you,” he said, adding, “Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal.”

He said efforts to free the hostages are “continuing constantly” and alleged Hamas has “refused to hold genuine negotiations.”

Hamas has offered to release the hostages in return for a halt in the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of some Palestinian prisoners, the AP noted.

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, told the AP the hostages would be alive if Israel accepted a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal that the militant group claimed to have agreed to back in July.

President Biden, who met with Goldberg-Polin’s parents, said he was “devastated and outraged” to be informed of the Israeli American’s death.

“I know all Amercians tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will,” he wrote in a statement over the weekend. “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,” he added.

Vice President Harris expressed her condolences and said the threat of Hamas in Israel “must be eliminated.”

Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault killed more than 1,100 people in addition to the hostage kidnappings, sparking the war in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since early October, according to local health officials.

The Associated Press contributed.