Israel has announced the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from a Gaza tunnel, as violence continues to escalate in the West Bank.
Gatekeepers News reports that the hostages, who were taken by Palestinian militants during an attack on October 7, were identified as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, US-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Russian-Israeli Alexander Lobanov.
According to the Israeli military, the bodies were recovered from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza and formally identified in Israel.
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that all six hostages “were abducted alive on the morning of October 7” and “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them.”
US President Joe Biden expressed outrage and devastation over the deaths of the six hostages, including Goldberg-Polin. He also expressed optimism that a Gaza truce and hostage release deal can be reached, saying “It’s time this war ended.”
The recovery of the hostage bodies comes as violence continues to rage in the West Bank, where Israeli forces and Palestinian militants have been battling for five days.
A “shooting attack” near Hebron killed three Israeli officers on Sunday, and at least 22 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the start of simultaneous raids across the northern West Bank on Wednesday.
The conflict has sparked international concern, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urging an end to “Israel’s bloody aggression on the occupied West Bank.”
The United Nations has reported that at least 637 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops or settlers since the Gaza war began, while 23 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during army operations over the same period.
