IDF recovers bodies of six Gaza hostages in Rafah 

The IDF announced on Sunday morning that the bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino were recovered in the Gaza Strip. The remains were found in a tunnel beneath Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, during a military operation.

According to the IDF, it is believed that Hamas killed the hostages shortly before the rescue operation, likely in response to the advancing forces. The bodies were discovered just one kilometer from the location where Qaid Farhan AlQadi, a 52-year-old from Rahat, was found last week.

In light of AlQadi's discovery, the IDF had issued heightened security measures in the area. However, Hamas may have executed the hostages knowing that the IDF was close to potentially rescuing them alive.

Earlier in the evening, before the identification was confirmed, the IDF had not yet identified the bodies. In response to the tragic news, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant released a statement expressing his condolences:

“During this painful and difficult time, my thoughts and my heart are with the families of the hostages who were killed:

They were held hostage by Hamas and murdered in cold blood. May their memory be a blessing.

I commend the IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) forces for conducting a complex operation to retrieve the bodies of the hostages for burial in Israel.”