IDF Rescues Bodies of Six More Hostages Dead in Gaza, Including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israelis awakened to sad news Sunday morning that brought a tragic closure for the families of six more of the Hamas-held hostages in Gaza – two women and four men.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander LobanoIv, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Eden Yerusahalmi were all kidnapped on October 7th.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement this morning, "They were abducted alive on the morning of October 7th by the Hamas terror organization. Their bodies were found in Rafah in an underground tunnel, approximately one kilometer from the tunnel from which we rescued Farhan al-Qaidi a few days ago.

Hagari continued, "Since Farhan's identification, the forces have been instructed to act with extra caution, even more so than usual, understanding that there might be additional hostages in the area. We did not have information on the exact location of the hostages. Combat was ongoing above ground, and the troops eliminated terrorists even during the battles there yesterday. The troops are still operating in the field at this time."

American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was at the Nova Music Festival and fled to a bomb shelter when Hamas attacked. A grenade injured his arm and he made his own tourniquet. A later video released by Hamas showed his arm had been amputated.

Alexander Lobanov, 32, was from Ashkelon near Gaza. He was married to Michal and they have a two-year-old and a five-month-old baby whom he never met.

Lobanov was also kidnapped from the Nova Festival where he was working as a bar manager. Testimonies indicate he helped evacuate others before being captured.

Carmel Gat, 40, from Tel Aviv, was staying with her parent on Kibbutz Be-eri when she was kidnapped mid-morning as terrorists broke into their home. She was an occupational therapist, and hostages who were released earlier described her as their guardian angel.

Almog Sarusi, 27, from Ra'anana, was described as a vibrant, positive person who loved traveling around Israel. He was kidnapped from the Nova Festival, where he was with his girlfriend Shahar, who was murdered.

Sarusi stayed with her, trying to help, when she was wounded. He was subsequently captured.

Eden Yerushalmi, 24, was from Tel Aviv. She was working as a bartender when she was abducted from the Nova Festival. When sirens sounded, she sent a video of rocket fire to her family group chat, saying she was leaving the party during the Hamas attack.

Eden called the police, describing the situation and pleading, "Find me, Okay?" For four hours, she spoke with her sisters, May and Shani, who heard everything she went through as she tried to escape. Her last words were, "Shani, they've caught me."

Ori Danino, 25, from Jerusalem, was planning to begin his academic studies in electrical engineering. He was kidnapped from the Nova Festival while driving back to help others escape and survive.

The plight of the hostages has been heart-wrenching for all Israelis, but at times divisive. Most of the hostages' families are crying out for a ceasefire deal with Hamas at any cost to bring their loved ones home. Much of their blame is directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

Other hostage families from the Tikva Forum believe Israel must fight the terrorists to the end for the higher cause of Israel's existence. they oppose any deals to return the hostages. They note that the mastermind of the October 7th massacre and kidnappings, Yahya Sinwar, was released in such a hostage deal in 2011. 

CBN News interviewed Hersh's mother, Rachel, several months ago, and asked about her son. She has been a tireless advocate for the release of Hersh and the other hostages, speaking to the U.S. Congress and at many other venues.

President Joe Biden issued a statement expressing outrage at the death of Goldberg-Polin and offering his condolences.

Just two days ago, many hostage family members went to the border to call out to their loved ones in Gaza, and Rachel Goldberg-Polin prayed at the site.

Eleven hostages' bodies and one survivor have been brought out of Gaza over the past week. Out of some 250 hostages kidnapped nearly 11 months ago, an estimated 101 remain in Gaza.

The government also announced Sunday that three Israeli policemen were murdered in Judea, in the southern West Bank during a shooting attack. The IDF is pursuing the gunmen.

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