[NY Post] Several bodies that could be those of kidnapped Israeli hostages were found in underground areas in Gaza, according to reports.
"At this stage, the forces are still operating in the area and carrying out a process to extract and identify the bodies, which will last several hours," the military said in a statement obtained by the Times of Israel.
Although the IDF shared few details about the recovery, it told the Jerusalem Post that the bodies could not have been killed by any recent fight with Hamas in the area because the military did not use force nearby.
Also, the exact number of remains was not disclosed.
The Jerusalem Post also said that the identity of the bodies could not be confirmed until the remains were returned to Israel.
8min ago
97 hostages abducted by Hamas remain in Gaza, including bodies of 33 confirmed dead
Following the recovery of six murdered Israeli hostages from Rafah overnight, 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
15min ago
IDF spokesperson says hostages ‘brutally murdered’ shortly before troops arrived
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the six hostages recovered from southern Gaza’s Rafah were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before troops arrived.
“According to an initial assessment… they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short while before we reached them. They were abducted alive on the morning of October 7 by the Hamas terror group. Their bodies were found during the fighting in Rafah, in a tunnel, about a kilometer away from the tunnel from which we rescued Farhan al-Qadi a few days ago,” he says in a press conference.
“Since Farhan was found, troops were given an emphasis on operating carefully even more than usual, because of the understanding that additional hostages may be in the area. We did not have information on the exact location of the hostages,” Hagari says.
He also says troops battled Hamas terror operatives above ground in the area where the tunnel was located.
28min ago
Harris says Hamas ‘must be eliminated’ after US citizen Goldberg-Polin found murdered in Gaza
Vice President Kamala Harris says in a statement that Hamas “must be eliminated” and cannot be allowed to control Gaza after the bodies of US citizen Hersch Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were found in Gaza.
Harris extends her condolences to Goldberg-Polin’s parents Jon and Rachel, and declares, “I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world. President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.”
“Hamas is an evil terrorist organization. With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands. I strongly condemn Hamas’ continued brutality, and so must the entire world. From its massacre of 1,200 people to sexual violence, taking of hostages, and these murders, Hamas’ depravity is evident and horrifying,” she says.
38min ago
IDF announces bodies of 6 hostages murdered by Hamas found in Rafah tunnel
Overnight, the IDF recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages from a Hamas tunnel in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, who according to the military were murdered by their captors not long before they were found.
The hostages are Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 25.
According to the IDF, the six were murdered by Hamas a short while, possibly around a day or two, before troops found them.
The IDF did not have the exact location of the hostages but had indications of a general area where the six could be held. The military says it operated carefully in the area, due to the possibility that hostages were being held there.
Troops began to search a tunnel complex yesterday until they found the hostages dead in the afternoon. Overnight their bodies were extracted from Gaza and brought to Israel for identification.
The IDF says there were no clashes with Hamas terrorists inside the tunnel, and the guards who likely murdered the six fled the area.
The tunnel in which the slain hostages were found, in Rafah, is about a kilometer away from where soldiers found hostage Farhan al-Qadi earlier this week.
Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Danino, Lubnov, and Sarusi were abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im by Hamas terrorists on October 7, while Gat was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri. 
|
