Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, according to US President Joe Biden, Reuters reports.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were found in a tunnel under Rafah and Israeli authorities believe the hostages were murdered by Hamas shortly before the rescue attempt. Biden expressed deep sympathy for the victims’ families and vowed that Hamas leaders would be held accountable. He also stated that efforts continue to secure the release of remaining hostages, expressing hope for a ceasefire deal soon.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths since Israel launched a military offensive, following a Hamas attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the capture of around 250 hostages.
