Six bodies found in a Gaza tunnel Saturday were confirmed to be hostages kidnapped by vicious Hamas terrorists — including that of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, President Biden confirmed.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said in a statement.
“Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre,” he continued.
“Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes.”
The grieving family of Goldberg-Polin, 23, also confirmed their son was among the dead found Saturday in a tunnel under the city of Rafah
“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” they wrote in a statement.
“The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
The IDF identified the other five victims as Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; and Alexander Lobanov, 33; all of whom were abducted from a music festival during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
The sixth, Carmel Gat, 40, was abducted from the nearby farming community of Be’eri.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, said Sunday that “they were cruelly murdered shortly before we were to rescue them.”
According to Israel Hayom, Danino — like Goldberg-Polin — managed to escape the initial assault but was abducted when he returned to rescue three of his friends, who were also kidnapped.
Yerushalmi celebrated her 24th birthday on her first Saturday in captivity.
She managed to call her mother and sister when Hamas stormed the festival and remained on the line for four hours while she was on the run — an attempt that was ultimately thwarted by the terrorists.
“Shani, they caught me, they caught me,” Yerushalmi told her sister before uttering the haunting final words she would say to her family: “Find me. Okay?”
Late Saturday, the IDF reported discovering several bodies that could be those of kidnapped Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The military would not immediately confirm whether they were hostages, or disclose how many remains were found, but said further details would be released after an examination was done.
The heartbreaking news comes just ten days after Goldberg-Polin’s parents appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and gave a speech that urged their son to “stay strong” and “survive.”
“This is a political convention. But needing our only son — and all of the cherished hostages — home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said his father, Jon Polin.
His mother, Rachel, who bowed her head during the ovation and touched her chest, said “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive.”
The couple have also met with President Joe Biden, Pope Francis and others and addressed the United Nations as part of their mission to rescue their son.
Goldberg-Polin was described by his parents as a music and soccer lover and traveler with plans to attend university since his military service had ended.
Goldberg-Polin was among the 250 hostages seized by Hamas militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7. His arm was “blown off” by a grenade shortly before he was loaded onto a pickup truck and carried into Gaza, his mother said.
He was featured in a Hamas-issued video in April, looking gaunt and clearly speaking under duress.
The announcement is certain to put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring home the remaining hostages — the politician was already under fire after the IDF revealed it discovered several bodies, with many assuming without confirmation that they belonged to the hostages.
Before the discovery of the bodies, Israel estimated there are 108 hostages remaining in Gaza, most of them Israeli, including dual nationals. Officials believe about one-third of that total is dead.
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