Israel raged and protested after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found six dead hostages’ bodies from the Gaza Strip।
The remains of six deceased captives were discovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a horrific revelation that incited demonstrations and outrage in Israel.
The captives were slain between Thursday and Friday morning, or 48 to 72 hours before their autopsy, according to the Health Ministry.
They were shot many times at close range, according to the autopsy conducted by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said during a news conference that the captives were “brutally murdered” by Hamas terrorists, and that the remains were discovered by the forces on Saturday afternoon from a Rafah tunnel.
“First impressions indicate that they were brutally killed by Hamas terrorists just before we arrived.” That morning, they were taken alive by abduction.
Senior Hamas commander Khalil Al-Hayya has accused Netanyahu of being responsible for the hostage deaths, in contrary to the IDF’s explanation. “They lost their lives because of Netanyahu and his extremist government,” Al-Hayya said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
He continued, saying that the Israelis “strikes along with those who were sitting, guarding, and living with them,” but he offered no proof for his assertions.
Israel hit by demonstrations, national strike declared
As families laid their loved ones to rest on Sunday, protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities. They vented their rage at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for not being able to mediate a deal that would have freed the hostages that Hamas had kidnapped during the October 7 attacks.
Some of the now-dead captives were expected to be released as part of a final ceasefire agreement, according to US and Israeli authorities, CNN said.
Carmel Gat (39), Alexander Lobanov (32), Almog Sarusi (26), Ori Danino (25), Eden Yerushalmi (24) and Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), are the names of the deceased. Six captives were involved; five were apprehended from the music festival, and the sixth was kidnapped from a kibbutz in the vicinity.
Arnon Bar-David, the head of the Histadrut labor union, announced a nationwide strike on Monday in an attempt to exert pressure on the government to come to a ceasefire accord.
33 deaths have been confirmed by the IDF thus far, out of the 251 hostages that Hamas captured on October 7. It is thought that 97 of the hostages are still in Gaza.
All you need to know about the six deceased hostages
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin was present at the Nova music festival in southern Israel. He and his three friends sought safety in a bomb bunker as Hamas launched their attack. One of them survived the attack, while the other two perished.
CNN claims that after Hamas tossed grenades inside the bunker, Goldberg-Polin quickly took them out. His arm blew off in the middle of this. When the gunfire stopped, Hamas captured him.
A Hamas video shows him being taken aboard a pick-up vehicle that day, missing part of his left arm. Six months after his kidnapping, the Palestinian terrorist group released a film featuring him as a hostage.
He had been “here for almost 200 days” and he pushed his parents to persevere.
At the age of seven, Goldberg-Polin moved with his parents, Jonathan and Rachel, from the United States to Israel. Being the older of two sisters, his dreams were to travel the world and become a chef. His family members claim that he likes soccer and music. According to CNN, they called him a “good-humored” and “happy-go-lucky” person.
In the meantime, a heartbroken message from his “devastated” family revealed the news of their beloved’s passing. The family asked for discretion and expressed gratitude to all for their love and support.
Among the captives expected to be released in the early phases of the final cease-fire negotiations was Goldberg-Polin.
Almog Sarusi
Raanana, an Israeli music label, was produced by Almog Sarusi. At the Noval festival, he was joined by his fiancée Shahar Gindi. Gindi was shot during the couple’s attempted escape, leaving her with critical injuries. She passed away in spite of his best efforts to save her, and Hamas took him away.
Alexander Lobanov
32-year-old Russian-Israeli Alexander Lobanov was the festival’s lead bartender. He and five other people hid in an olive grove until they were apprehended, according to his family.
With his wife Michal, who gave birth to their second child in March, he was the parent of two children. Sadly, Lobanov, who was raised by parents with disabilities, never got to see his second child.
Carmel Gat
The 39-year-old occupational therapist Carmel Gat was kidnapped from her parents’ Beeri kibbutz together with her other family members. Gat had recently returned to Israel from India.
Some of the released captives were reportedly taught yoga by her.
After the Hamas bombings, Gat’s mother passed away, and her sister-in-law Yarden Roman-Gat was kidnapped before being freed in November.
Eden Yerushalmi
At the Nova event, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, worked as a bartender.
She called her family on October 7 and screamed that she was scared and had seen armed men attack the celebration, according to her sister Shani. Her final words before being transported to Gaza were, “Shani, they found me,” indicating that her attempts to flee and conceal were unsuccessful.
As per the Hostages Families Forum, an activist group that represents the families of abductees imprisoned in Gaza, she was pursuing her education to become a pilates instructor.
Ori Danino
When 25-year-old soldier Ori Danino returned to the Nova event to release his captured friends Omer Shemtov, Maya, and Itay Regev, he was kidnapped by Hamas.
Maya Regev and her brother Itay were freed during a one-week ceasefire in November, while Omer Shemtov is still being held captive in Gaza.
Elchanan and Einav Danin’s eldest son, Danino, was the oldest of five siblings.
He intended to continue his studies in electrical engineering and was engaged.
