Israel Reveals Identities of Six Hostage Bodies Recovered from Gaza on Saturday

Israeli authorities revealed on Sunday the identities of six bodies recovered from Gaza in an operation on Saturday, including the body of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted photos of the six hostages on his account on platform X (formerly Twitter), with a caption stating: “IDF and Shin Bet forces found and brought back to Israel the bodies of six hostages: Carmel Gat, Aden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lupinov, Almog Sarusi, and Warrant Officer Uri Danino. These were kidnapped by Hamas ISIS terrorists and killed by these criminals while in captivity.”

IDF spokesperson Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing that the six hostages were killed “shortly before we reached them,” and that they were found in a tunnel in the Rafah area. Goldberg-Polin was 23 years old when he was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, and he was seriously injured during the attack. He appeared in a video released by the group in April, having lost part of his left arm.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement regarding Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s death, saying in a tweet: “Hersh Goldberg-Polin was a hero. His kindness and selflessness will be remembered. Our hearts go out to John, Rachel, and their entire family, as well as to other families who learned today that their loved ones will not return home.”