Protesters pack streets of Tel Aviv after IDF found 6 hostages shot to death (2024)

Hostage deaths 'should not have happened,' wife of hostage Keith Siegel says

Matt Bradley

Rebecca Cohen

Matt Bradley and Rebecca Cohen

Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in areas of Gaza for at least eight hours daily from today to Tuesday to begin vaccinating 640,000 children against polio.

Children, escorted by family members, crowded a U.N. clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, according to Palestinian officials. The territory’s Health Ministry said at least 72,611 children were vaccinated the first day.

The campaign comes after the confirmation last month that a baby was partially paralyzed by theType 2 polio virus, thefirst such casein the territory in 25 years.

Israeli forces continued to battle Hamas-led militants in several parts of Gaza, with the Israeli military targeting what it said was a Hamas command center in a former school in Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said 11 people had died, and medics said many others had been wounded.

In Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians and wounded 10 others, according to medics, bringing the day’s total death toll in Gaza to 27.

Funerals were held for some of the hostages today, including 27-year-old Almog Sarusi.

Sarusi's body was wrapped in an Israeli flag.

“You were abandoned on and on, daily, hour after hour, 331 days,” his mother, Nira, said. “You and so many beautiful and pure souls.”

Reporting from Washington

Politicians from both sides of the aisle mourned the deaths of the six hostages.

Biden said ina statementthat he was “devastated and outraged,” emphasizing that “Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes.” Similarly, Harris said ina statement, “[M]ay Hersh’s memory be a blessing,” invoking a phrase Jews use to mourn the dead.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also called Hamas a “brutal terrorist organization” and wroteon X, “We condemn their continued atrocities against both Americans and Israelis in the strongest possible terms.”

Former President Donald Trumpsaid onXthat “we grieve the senseless death of the Israeli Hostages” but placed the blame for the deaths at the feet of Biden and Harris.

Read the full story here.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed condolences to the families of the slain hostages in a phone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant today.

Austin and Gallant "affirmed that Hamas leaders must be held accountable for their crimes," according to a readout of the call provided by deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh.

They discussed the necessity of reaching a cease-fire deal to ensure the safe release of Hamas' remaining hostages, Singh said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan met virtually today with the families of American hostages held in Gaza, the White House said.

Sullivan discussed the news of six hostages' death, including that of Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Sullivan told the families that Biden and his administration are committed to bringing the hostages home as soon as possible, discussing what the White House described as a "diplomatic push across the highest levels of U.S. government" to secure a deal to release the remaining hostages.

Sullivan said the next few days will be “critical” in the efforts to rescue the remaining 101 hostages — including seven Americans — safely, according to a readout of the call from the families. He also echoed Biden in saying that the administration will work tirelessly to reach a deal to release them. The families will meet with Sullivan again later this week.

In response, the families insisted that all negotiating parties must unite to urge Netanyahu to close a deal with Hamas and bring the hostages home. While some of the hostages are known to be dead, there is still a chance some are alive, the families said, adding that those who are not need to be laid to rest.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he was in shock at the discovery of the six hostages who were killed in Gaza.

"There must be an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, including our compatriots Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon," Macron said. "The war must stop."

Israelis gathered for a candlelight vigil for Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six hostages who was found dead in Gaza. Israeli forces recovered Goldberg-Polin’s body nearly 11 months after Hamas kidnapped him on Oct. 7.

Reporting from Tel Aviv

NBC News’ Matt Bradley reports from the streets of Tel Aviv as thousands continue to protest after six hostages taken during Hamas’ attack on Israel were found dead in Gaza.

The Hostage Family Forum estimated that 300,000 people attended a demonstration in Tel Aviv demanding the Israeli government negotiate a deal to bring the 101 remaining captives in Gaza home.

NBC News was unable to verify that number.

Family members of the hostages, including the brother of German Israeli citizen Ohad Ben Ami, made statements criticizing the government and Prime Minister Netanyahu. He said that he had had hope for a deal until news broke of the six killed hostages and that now he is "broken."

"Let every citizen in Israel know that if they’re kidnapped in their underwear, the prime minister will abandon them to die, without the values we grew up on, without human dignity, without regard for human life," Kobi Ben Ami said.

Israeli President Issac Herzog said today that the world's view of Hamas "must change," blaming the militant organization for the lack of a cease-fire deal that would free an estimated 101 people still captive in Gaza.

Herzog made the remarks during a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, whom he thanked for the Netherlands' support of Israel. He insisted that the world community needs to be firm with Hamas in its decisions.

"They all have to understand that Hamas is not a partner to anything," he said. "They simply refuse endlessly to move on and move towards a hostage deal."

His comments come amid fervent domestic protest against Netanyahu and his coalition government in outrage over the six hostages killed by Hamas. Critics accuse Netanyahu of holding up a resolution to the negotiations.

Thousands are demonstrating in Tel Aviv tonight as they blame Netanyahu for prioritizing his own political survival over a cease-fire deal that would safely bring the hostages home.

JERUSALEM — Palestinian militants killed three Israeli police officers today when they opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has carried outlarge-scale raidsin recent days.

The attack took place along a road in the southern West Bank. The raids have mainly been focused on urban refugee camps in the northern part of the territory, where Israeli forces have traded fire with militants nearly daily since the war broke out in Gaza.

The police confirmed that all three of the dead were officers and said the assailants slipped away.

One of the officers was Roni Shakuri, 61, from the southern town of Sderot near the Gaza border, police said. His daughter, Mor, who was also a police officer, was killed in a battle with Hamas militants when they tried to take over the Sderot police station during the Oct. 7 attack.

A little-known militant group calling itself the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade claimed responsibility for the shooting today. Hamas praised the attack as a “natural response” to the war in Gaza and called for more.

Over 650 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, mainly duringIsraeli military arrest raids. Most appear to have been militants involved in gunbattles with Israeli forces, but civilian bystanders and rock-throwing protesters have also been killed.

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Israelis have gathered in the thousands in Tel Aviv tonight protesting Netanyahu and his government.

Demonstrators were angered over the news that Hamas was alleged to have killed six hostages before the military found their bodies in a tunnel in Gaza. Some carried Israeli flags, while others carried mock coffins for the six abductees.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Il., offered condolences to the families after the "gut-wrenching" news emerged that six hostages had been killed in Gaza,

“The capture and subsequent killing of hostages by Hamas is unconscionable and unacceptable. Full stop," Duckworth wrote in a statement. "It is imperative for a permanent ceasefire to be negotiated and upheld by all parties that releases the remaining hostages, and I will keep doing everything I can to push for a deal."

She extended her condolences to the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who she said had become fierce advocates on behalf of the hostages in Gaza the last 10 months. She described their love for their son as "awe-inspiring."

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Hersh Goldberg-Polin's parents along with her husband, Doug Emhoff, she said today on X.

"My heart breaks for their pain and anguish," Harris wrote. "I told them:As they mourn this terrible loss, they are not alone. Our nation mourns with them."

President Joe Biden said he was "devastated and outraged" over the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen who was killed in captivity in Gaza.

"He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre.He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world," Biden said.

He said that Hamas leaders "will pay for these crimes" and that he will continue to push for a deal to release the remaining hostages. Hersh's parents, Jon and Rachel, have endured the "unimaginable," he added.

"They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions," he said. "I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express."

A White House official said Biden has spoken with Goldberg-Polin's parents to offer his condolences.

Reporting from Tel Aviv

The six hostages recovered from Gaza were killed somewhere between Thursday and Friday, a spokesperson from Israel's health ministry said.

According to the ministry, forensic examination of the hostages' bodies showed they were killed 48 to 72 hours prior to the autopsies. The National Institute of Forensic Medicine found they were killed by a "number of short-range shots."

The Israeli military said the abducted men and women were killed by Hamas, though the group has claimed it was IDF fire that killed them. The IDF said there was no exchange of fire between the two groups when the military stormed into the tunnel where the hostages were recovered.

"America grieves this morning for the family, friends, and loved ones of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and the five other hostages recovered by Israel," Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement Sunday morning, adding, "Our hearts break especially for the families and friends of these brave souls who have been working endlessly for eleven months to have their loved ones back."

Johnson also reiterated his support for Israel, saying that, "Israel must not merely be allowed to defend itself, but supported in its effort to completely eradicate the threat of future attacks by Hamas."

Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, called for a cease-fire to "end this tragedy" and bring the hostages home.

The European official said he was horrified at the news that six Israeli hostages were killed in Gaza and that he stands "with all hostages."

"These young innocent men women should have long been brought to safety & to their loved ones," Borrell wrote on X.

California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna on Sunday called for an end to the war in Gaza, adding that Goldberg-Polin's death was "a devastating lawless murder by Hamas."

"What we need now is an end to the war," Khanna told NBC News' "Meet the Press," adding,"I hope there's going to be pressure on Hamas and Netanyahu to end this war, release the hostages."

The head of Israel’s Histadrut labour union called for a general strike beginning at 6 a.m. local time on Monday to pressure the government into reaching a deal to return Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Arnon Bar-David, whose union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, called on all civilian workers to join the strike and said Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8 a.m.

Bar-David said that for now, the strike would just be for Monday but he sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to bring hostages back alive.

“The neglect of the economy must be stopped,” Bar-David said at a news conference. “Israel must be returned to a reasonable routine... We must reach a deal. A deal is more important than anything else.

“We are getting body bags instead of a deal.”

Freddie Clayton and Hayley Walker

The Families of American Hostages in Gaza group has said "enough is enough," following the death of American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was among the six hostages executed by Hamas and recovered by Israeli forces.

"We demand Prime Minister Netanyahu close the deal with Hamas and bring the hostages home to their loved ones," read a statement from the group.

"It’s well past time to bring all the hostages home. Sagui, Omer, Edan, and Keith need to come home now. We need to bring Judy, Gadi, and Itay home and lay them to rest.

"For the 101 remaining hostages and their families, this nightmare needs to end.”

Tel Aviv

The grieving cousin of slain hostage Carmel Gat told NBC News he wants her to know that their family was sorry that they weren't able to bring her home, offering harsh criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gil Dickmann said the blood of the hostages is on Netanyahu and the government's hands, accusing the prime minister of caring more about politics than the lives of hostages. He believes it's the mission of "horrible people from both sides" to make it impossible for Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace together.

"I know we are now in a war between two psychopaths because Sinwar and Benjamin Netanyahu, both of them are just having their own war between each other," Dickmann said, referring to Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar. "We're dying in the midst of it."

Gat was Dickmann's oldest cousin, a woman he described as "peace loving" who did not see borders between people and nations. She would have been released in the early wave of a potential cease-fire deal, which has a framework but has not been agreed upon.

Dickmann said that he would continue to fight for the release of the remaining hostages in Gat's honor, and that he hopes one day to see her again to hear her story.

"These leaders are to blame, and the terror organization is to blame, and the government that decided to sacrifice the lives of the hostages, they're all to blame," Dickmann said. "But people, innocent people, on either side should not pay the price of this horrible war between these two organizations."

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan plans to hold a virtual meeting today with the families of the American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a spokesperson for the National Security Council confirmed to NBC News.

The Hostage and Missing Persons Families Forum has scheduled two protests in Israel today as they call for a cease-fire deal that will see the remaining hostages return home.

The group has also organized a vigil honoring those killed in Gaza.

At 4 p.m. local time, it said there will be a demonstration at the Joint Square during the Israeli government's cabinet meeting.

At 6 p.m. the group has scheduled a vigil at the Hostage Families Forum.

And at 7 p.m. it said a "massive rally" will take place at Begin Gate in HaKirya, Tel Aviv, with hostages' families and "hundreds of thousands of supporters."

Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has submitted a proposal calling for the death penalty for terrorists.

In a post on X, he said: "We submitted a death penalty law for terrorists, and the Prime Minister is delaying it. I intend to fight for it — it’s time to pass the law."

In another post, he also called for the return of checkpoints in the occupied West Bank.

Reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel

A forensic examination of the six hostages’ bodies indicates they were shot by their Hamas captors, an Israeli official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on a sensitive matter.

Hamas has claimed the hostages were killed by IDF fire as soldiers stormed into the tunnel in Rafah on Saturday.

The IDF says that is not accurate and that there was no exchange of fire between Hamas and IDF troops in the tunnel.

The family of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin announced that his funeral will be held tomorrow at Har Hamenuchot in Jerusalem.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered the state's flags be flown at half-staff in honor of Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

"Suzanne and I are angered and heartbroken by the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a senseless murder at the hands of terrorists," Youngkin said. "Today, Virginians, Americans, and the world join the Goldberg-Polin family and the Keneseth Beth Israel Synagogue in prayer."

Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his 'extremist' government are responsible for "the escalation of the dangerous situation and the killing of Israeli prisoners."

In a post on X, he blamed Netanyahu for refusing to a cease-fire and expanding the war in the West Bank.

"Netanyahu does not care about the lives of anyone, including Israeli prisoners, and his only concern is saving himself from accountability," he said.

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to the family of Alexander Lobanov for not bringing him and the other five hostages back alive, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.

Lobanov, 32, will be buried in Ashkelon this afternoon. He is survived by his parents, wife and two children, one of whom was born while he was in captivity. Lobanov was working as a bar manager at the Supernova music festival, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. He had helped evacuate people and ran with five others to the Be’eri forest, where he was captured.

According to the prime minister's office Netanyahu will speak with the families of other hostages today.

Doctors without Borders says only 16 out of 36 hospitals are still functioning in Gaza.

It said Al-Aqsa hospital was under threat of attack, and called on "all parties to protect the last remaining hospitals."

A polio vaccination campaign began today in central Gaza, with a rare pause in fighting amid fears that the disease could spread beyond the enclave.

24 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank since Israel began its assault on the city of Jenin, according to Palestinian health officials.

The IDF launched a sweeping military operation Wednesday, carrying out airstrikes and deadly raids and sealing off the city of Jenin.

Of the Palestinians reported dead since Wednesday, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have said at least 14 were members of their armed wings.

Three Israeli police officers were also killed in a shooting at a checkpoint in Hebron on Sunday.

Paul Goldman and Freddie Clayton

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Aviva Siegel, who was taken hostage by Hamas and released in November after 51 days in captivity, called for an end to the fighting and a deal that would bring the remaining hostages home.

In an interview with NBC News, she said her heart was "broken into pieces" following the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from Gaza on Saturday.

"We need them home, we need them home now as quick as possible," she said.

"Stop fighting, wars aren't good for anybody. People shouldn't be dead. You only get one chance to live. It needs to stop immediately to bring the hostages home. A deal is the only way to get them home safely."

"They need to come home alive as soon as possible before we get more dead bodies home."

Freddie Clayton and Yarden Segev

Israel's far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has repeated calls for the government not to enter into a deal with Hamas that would see the release of Palestinian prisoners or sacrifice control of the Philadelphi corridor.

Ben-Gvir's position stands in opposition to a round of fresh calls from some ministers and hostage families for a cease-fire deal that would rescue the remaining hostages, after six were recovered dead from Gaza last night.

"Those who demand the release of thousands of terrorists and give Hamas control over the Philadelphia axis are intentionally abandoning the security of Israel’s citizens," he said. "The blood of the next murdered will be by his hands."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on the Israeli parliament to reverse a decision made Thursday that demands the Israel Defense Forces maintain a military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor as part of any cease-fire or hostage release deal.

Netanyahu's insistence that the IDF stay in the corridor has impeded recent cease-fire talks, and Thursday's vote drew outrage from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Ahead of the vote, local news outlets reported conflict between Gallant and Netanyahu over the impact the Philadelphi Corridor decision would have on hostages.

"The political-security cabinet must convene immediately and reverse the decision made on Thursday," Gallant, who voted against the original decision, posted on X.

"It’s too late for the abductees who were murdered in cold blood. The abductees who remain in the captivity of Hamas must be returned home."

The Hostages Families and Missing Families forum is organizing protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Sunday, after the recovery of six hostages last night added urgency to calls for a deal what could save the remaining captives.

It said the first protest will take place at 4 p.m. local time in Jerusalem at the joint square, with another "massive" protest taking place at 7 p.m. at Begin Gate in Tel Aviv.

Daniel Lifsh*tz, grandson of hostage Oded Lifsh*tz, said they were protesting to pressure their government to "seal the deal," in reference to a cease-fire deal that would see the remaining hostages returned to Israel.

"That's what we have asked for," he said. "That is what our demand is."

Yarden Segev and Freddie Clayton

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Gil Dickmann accused the ultranationalist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, of sabotaging a cease-fire deal that would have led to the release of his cousin, Carmel Gat, whose body was recovered from Gaza yesterday.

Smotrich, chairman of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, objected to a plan presented by President Joe Biden in May that aimed to end the war in Gaza and return all hostages.

Dickmann slammed Smotrich on X for posting a picture of his cousin Carmel Gat among the others whose bodies were found.

"You foiled the deal that would bring her home. You were proud of it. You said that bringing them home 'isn’t the most important thing.'

And now they are dead.

Don’t talk about 'dancing on the blood'.

"If you had an ounce of responsibility and respect for the human life you wasted, you would be ashamed to publish her picture this morning."

Yarden Segev and Freddie Clayton

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is mourning for the hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza, and accused Hamas of "unimaginable cruelty."

"Along with all the citizens of Israel, I was shocked to the depths of my soul by the terrible cold-blooded murder of six of our abductees," he said.

"I say to the Hamas terrorists who murdered our abductees and I say to their leaders — your blood is on your head. We will not rest and we will not be silent. We will pursue you, we will catch up with you and we will bring you to account.

He went on to accuse Hamas of refusing to conduct cease-fire negotiations. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of obstructing a deal.

The "humanitarian pauses" to allow a mass polio vaccination campaign has begun today in central Gaza as aid groups work to prevent an outbreak of the virus.

Israel and Hamas agreed tothree separate three-day pauses in fighting, starting Sunday in central Gaza, to allow for the vaccination ofsome 640,000 childrenagainst polio amid fears that the outbreak of the potentially fatal virus could spread beyond the territory.

In a post on X, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for UNWRA, called on both sides to respect the temporary pauses in fighting.

Yarden Segev and Freddie Clayton

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on the head of the Israeli parliament to convene the Knesset "as early as tomorrow" to discuss a deal to release the remaining hostages and "save the abductees who are still alive."

"We have no time to waste," he said in a post on X. "Their deaths could have been avoided. It was possible to reach a deal. There is a majority for such a deal in the people, there is a majority for such a deal in the Knesset."

Reporting from Tel Aviv

The bodies of the six hostages are still being examined and the IDF is not yet in a position to say exactly how and when they were killed, Lt Col Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesman, told reporters on Sunday.

The IDF has said the hostages “were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them” in a tunnel in Rafah.

But Shoshani was not able to say if the hostages were killed by gunfire or what time they were killed. He did say there was no exchange of gunfire between IDF troops and Hamas fighters in the tunnel, so the IDF was confident they were not accidentally killed by the advancing Israeli soldiers.

Reporting from Tel Aviv

Gil Dickmann posted an emotional tribute to his cousin Carmel Gat, whose body was recovered from Gaza yesterday.

"Sorry, Carmeli. Sorry we didn’t stop when it was still possible. Sorry we let them kill you.

I wish you saw and heard us. I wish that even though you saw with your own eyes the terrible murder of Mother Kinneret, you discovered that your father Eshel and your brother Alon and Or, your sister-in-law Yarden and your niece Gefen, survived. I wish you saw how your girlfriends fought to get you back alive.

I wish you hadn’t heard the prime minister say that the Philadelphia axis is more important than your life and the lives of the other abductees. I can only imagine how much rage that filled you.

I wish that in memory of you, in memory of the warrior of justice that you were, in memory of the life that you still had to live and that was taken from you at the hands of those who kidnapped you and at the hands of a government that decided that you could be given up,

I wish that in your memory thousands would come out to demonstrate tonight, just as you would have done.

I wish that in your memory all the abductees who can still be saved will return in the deal.

Sorry, Carmeli. Sorry I didn’t do enough.

I promise you: In your memory, we will return them all."

Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political wing, has blamed Israel for the deaths of the hostages, accusing its government of evading a cease-fire agreement.

"The one who bears responsibility for the death of prisoners held by the resistance is the occupation, which insists on continuing the war of genocide and evading reaching a ceasefire agreement, and the American administration due to its bias, support and partnership in this aggression," Al-Rishq said in a statement.

Both Israel and Hamas have consistently accused each other of obstructing a cease-fire deal as mediators try and reach a breakthrough.

Nearly 11 months after he was taken hostage by Hamas, Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin was found dead in Gaza.

President Joe Biden said Saturday night that Goldberg-Polin was among six hostages held by Hamas whose bodies recovered in a tunnel under Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces said Hamas killed the six shortly before Israeli forces reached them.

“Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7,” Biden said. “He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre.He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world.”

Goldberg-Polin was an older brother to two sisters and a fan of the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team. He was born in the United States and moved to Israel with his family when he was 7, the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said.

Goldberg-Polin’s parentshave been outspoken in their efforts to bring home their son and the other hostages, launching a social media campaign and making regular media appearances. They, along with the families of other hostages, have relentlessly urged Netanyahu and the Israeli government, as well as the international community, to focus on the plight of their loved ones.

Read the full story here.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli public to prepare for protests in a post on X Saturday night.

"Netanyahu abandoned the abductees! This is now a fact," it said. "Starting tomorrow the country will tremble."

The post goes on to say that further details will be sent Sunday morning.

The bodies of the six hostages were found in an underground tunnel during fighting in Rafah, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said today.

They were located less than a mile from the tunnel where Frhan Alkadi, another hostage, was rescued earlier this week, Hagari said. At the time, fighting was going on above ground between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, he said.

"According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," Hagari said.

In Saturday night statements, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris mourned the death of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, emphasizing that their prayers are with his loved ones.

"I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible," Biden said in his statement.

Harris strongly condemned Hamas as well, calling it "an evil terrorist organization" and emphasizing that it now has "even more American blood on its hands."

"The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel—and American citizens in Israel—must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza," she said in the statement, which was made in her official capacity as vice president, not her presidential campaign.

Reactions from lawmakers also began rolling in, with members of Congress sharing that they were “heartbroken” and grieving with the families of the hostages.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American taken hostage in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, is among six hostages whose bodies were recovered Saturday.

“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh. The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time,” a family representative said.

President Joe Biden said the bodies of Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages held by Hamas were recovered in a tunnel under Rafah.

“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said in the statement.

Read the full story here.

The IDF confirmed in a statement that they and Shin Bet, the country's domestic security agency, recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel near Rafah.

The IDF confirmed the identities of the hostages as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino. The hostages were "murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the IDF said.

"Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the IDF Military Rabbinate, the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families," the IDF statement said. "The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families."