Six Hostages Found Dead in Gaza Tunnel, Including American Citizen

The bodies of six hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were found in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip and brought to Israel. All six were kidnapped during the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7th, according to the Israeli army’s Telegram announcement. According to Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the hostages were killed by their captors before the IDF found them. Goldberg-Polin, along with Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, were all killed by Hamas. President Biden expressed his ‘devastation and outrage’ at the news, saying that Hersh ‘was among the innocent brutally attacked at the music festival for peace in Israel on October 7th.’ The discovery of the hostages’ bodies has heightened pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as anger grows in the country over the lack of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, leading to open disagreements between Netanyahu and his military commanders.