Among the victims was an Israeli-American. Joe Biden has promised to do everything to find the others still detained.
The Israeli army has found the bodies of six hostages, two women and four men, kidnapped in Israel by Hamas on October 7 and taken to Gaza. The authorities have released the names of the victims, and say they discovered the bodies in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, several dozen meters underground, “while “continuous fighting” were in progress.
Among the hostages was an Israeli-American. The 23-year-old from Berkeley, California, was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel during the Hamas attack. In April, a video released by Hamas showed him alive but missing his left hand, sparking renewed protests in Israel calling on the government to do more to secure the hostages’ release.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the military believed there were other hostages in the area but had no specific intelligence.
Yoav Gallant and Benjamin Netanyahu at odds over hostage deal terms
According to Israel’s Channel 12, during a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet held on Thursday evening, an argument broke out between Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant. The latter allegedly accused him of prioritizing control of a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border. The cabinet reportedly voted to remain in the corridor despite Gallant’s objections, who said it would prevent a hostage transaction.
An Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report and said three of the hostages were to have been released in the first phase of a cease-fire proposal discussed in July.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I hold the families of the victims close to my heart and ask for forgiveness.”Yoav Gallant said Sunday night.
An association of hostage families called for a mass demonstration on Sunday, demanding a “complete shutdown of the country” to push for the implementation of a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. “A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for two months. Without the delays, sabotage and pretexts, those whose deaths we learned of this morning would certainly still be alive.”the association said.
Netanyahu blames Hamas for killing of hostages “cold blood” and blamed the Islamist group for the deadlock in negotiations, saying that “He who murders hostages does not want an agreement“The Israeli prime minister vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and said military pressure was needed to bring the hostages home.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said: “the heart of the whole nation (was) broken into a thousand pieces.”
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, retorted that the hostages would still be alive if Israel had accepted a ceasefire proposal, backed by the United States and Hamas
American reactions
Having learned of the discovery of the bodies of the hostages, including that of a young Israeli-American man, President Joe Biden said: “devastated and outraged.”
“Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement that secures the release of the remaining hostages.”the American president said.
Joe Biden also spoke about the parents of the young man who “relentlessly and irrepressibly defended their son and all the hostages held in unacceptable conditions”.
Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke out and said she was praying for Goldberg-Polin’s loved ones. “As it is said in Jewish tradition, may the memory of Hersh be a blessing,” she said.
The Democratic presidential candidate also condemned Hamas, calling it a“evil terrorist organization.” “With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands”she added.
“The threat that Hamas poses to the Israeli population and American citizens in Israel must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza”the American vice-president also declared, specifying that “the Palestinian population has also suffered under the yoke of Hamas for almost two decades.”