Bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas were recovered from Rafah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that the bodies of six hostages, who had been abducted alive by Hamas on October 7, were recovered from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza, shortly after they were murdered by their captors.

The victims were identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Ori Danino, 25; Alex Lobanov, 32; Carmel Gat, 40; and Almog Sarusi, 27. Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Lobanov, Sarusi, and Danino, an off-duty noncommissioned officer, were kidnapped from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, while Gat was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri.

According to Israel’s Health Ministry, the bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds, as confirmed by an examination conducted by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. The hostages were believed to have been murdered between 48 and 72 hours before their autopsies, indicating that the killings likely occurred between Thursday and Friday morning.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated that the six hostages were “brutally murdered” by Hamas terrorists just before Israeli troops arrived, possibly only a day or two before they were discovered. He explained that the bodies were found during fighting in Rafah, about a kilometer from a tunnel where Farhan al-Qadi had been rescued a few days earlier.

Hagari noted that the IDF did not have precise information on the hostages’ exact location but had indications of a general area where they might be held. Consequently, troops operated with extra caution, understanding that more hostages could be nearby.

The search of the tunnel complex, located about 20 meters underground, began on Saturday, and the hostages’ bodies were found later that afternoon. They were extracted from Gaza overnight and brought to Israel for identification.