Israeli hostages confirmed dead after army finds six bodies in Gaza

Published

10 months ago

September 1, 2024

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Six Israeli hostages in Gaza have been confirmed dead by their families, hours after Israel’s army said it had found bodies in the territory.

The bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were brought back to Israel, the Israeli military said in a statement.

All were abducted by Hamas-led militants on 7 October, with their bodies found in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza on Saturday, according to the Israel Defence Forces.

“According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them,” military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

Hamas and its armed wing did not immediately comment on the accusations.

US President Joe Biden said he is “devastated and outraged” by the news.

“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” he said.

“And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

US vice president Kamala Harris and secretary of state Antony Blinken also shared their condolences with Mr Goldberg-Polin’s parents.

These six deaths mark a pivotal moment in Israel

The news that the bodies of six hostages have been recovered from Gaza has sent Israel into shock.

The names and faces of every hostage are familiar to all Israelis: there is collective national grief at the death of every one of them.

Everybody knows the story of how each hostage was taken on October 7th; they know their hobbies, jobs, past lives. Their desperate plight, and the suffering of their families praying for news, has become the fabric of society here.

The phrase “Free Hersh” is graffiti on walls or hangs from banners on virtually every street in the neighbourhoods close to where I live in Jerusalem.

Yellow ribbons are tied around lampposts, pillars, tree trunks, you name it.

Posters, with the photos of the 251 taken, are posted in shop windows, doctors surgeries, on billboards and through the walkway at Ben Gurion airport so even abroad, their fate is not forgotten.

These six young men and women were the living, some of the few who were supposed to come out alive and be reunited with their families after almost a year in captivity.

That hope is now extinguished. Confirmation of their deaths will reverberate hard; grief will quickly manifest into anger.

The IDF believes they were killed by Hamas, a conclusion likely based on forensic evidence of bullet traces, but many in Israel will blame Netanyahu.

It has now dawned on the hostage families and protestors that their prime minister is prioritising the military campaign over a hostage deal.

They might have long feared it, and chosen not to believe it, but the argument between Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday night was the final proof.

The two argued bitterly over Netanyahu’s insistence that Israeli forces remain in parts of Gaza during any truce and Gallant accused the prime minister of deliberately ruining ceasefire negotiations.

Gallant is supported by the military and security establishment. Netanyahu is supported by the extreme right in his cabinet.

Already this morning Yair Lapid, the former prime minster and official leader of the opposition, has tweeted in criticism of Netanyahu: “Instead of doing everything to bring them home, (he) is doing everything to stay in power.”

The massive protests, a fixture of Israeli society every Saturday evening, will now likely grow in size and anger.

However, despite their size and passion, they have so far failed to sway Netanyahu.

But the news of the six bodies is a pivotal moment here.

The protestors will no longer be shouting for a hostage deal, no longer pleading for the government to bring them home – they will be fighting to remove Netanyahu from power.

Mr Goldberg-Polin’s parents became perhaps the most high-profile relatives of hostages on the international stage, meeting with Mr Biden, Pope Francis and addressing the UN.

On 21 August, they addressed a hushed hall at the Democratic National Convention, where the crowd chanted: “Bring them home.”

A Hamas video in April showing Mr Goldberg-Polin speaking under duress sparked new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure his and others’ freedom.

“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” the family said in a statement.

“The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.”

Confirmation of each death was shared by Israel on X.

The family of Ms Yerushalmi said: “We share with great sorrow that our beloved Eden was murdered in Hamas captivity.”

Following news of the deaths, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog apologised to the families of the victims for “failing to bring them home safely”.

He then referenced the hostages that are still being held by Hamas. “The supreme covenant between the state and its citizens is to ensure their safety. We have the sacred and urgent mission to bring them home.”

A forum of hostage families called for a massive protest on Sunday, demanding a “complete halt of the country” to push for the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release.

The war was triggered when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

World

Trump applying ‘heavy pressure’ on Netanyahu to end war in Gaza

Published

7 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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Trump applying 'heavy pressure' on Netanyahu to end war in Gaza

US President Donald Trump is putting “heavy” pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations have told Sky News.

One US source said: “The US pressure on Israel has begun, and tonight it will be heavy.”

The source, who is not authorised to speak publicly, was referring to the White House dinner on Monday night between Trump and Netanyahu.

A second Middle Eastern diplomatic source agreed that the American pressure on Israel would be intense.

Netanyahu arrived in Washington DC in the early hours of Monday morning and held meetings on Monday with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser.

The Israeli prime minister plans to be in Washington until Thursday with meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Trump has made clear his desire to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.

However, he has never articulated how a lasting peace, which would satisfy both the Israelis and Palestinians, could be achieved.

His varying comments about ownership of Gaza, moving Palestinians out of the territory and permanent resettlement, have presented a confusing policy.

Situation for Palestinians worse than ever

Over the coming days, we will see the extent to which Trump demands that Netanyahu accepts the current Gaza ceasefire deal, even if it falls short of Israel’s war aims – the elimination of Hamas.

The strategic objective to permanently remove Hamas seems always to have been impossible. Hamas as an entity was the extreme consequence of the Israeli occupation.

The Palestinians’ challenge has not gone away, and the situation for Palestinians now is worse than it has ever been in Gaza and also the West Bank. It is not clear how Trump plans to square that circle.

Trump’s oft-repeated desire to “stop the killing” is sincere. Those close to him often emphasise this. He is also looking to cement his legacy as a peacemaker. He genuinely craves the Nobel Peace Prize.

In this context, the complexities of conflicts – in Ukraine or Gaza – are often of secondary importance to the president.

If Netanyahu can be persuaded to end the war, what would he need?

The hostages back – for sure. That would require agreement from Hamas. They would only agree to this if they have guarantees on Gaza’s future and their own future. More circles to square.

Was White House dinner a key moment?

The Monday night dinner could have been a key moment for the Middle East. Two powerful men in the Blue Room of the White House, deciding the direction of the region.

Will it be seen as the moment the region was remoulded? But to whose benefit?

Trump is a dealmaker with an eye on the prize. But Netanyahu is a political master; they don’t call him “the magician” for nothing.

Trump makes decisions instinctively. He can shift position quickly and often listens to the last person in the room. Right now – that person is Netanyahu.

Gaza is one part of a jigsaw of challenges, which could become opportunities.

Diplomatic normalisation between Israel and the Arab world is a prize for Trump and could genuinely secure him the Nobel Peace Prize.

But without the Gaza piece, the jigsaw is incomplete.

World

IDF presence in Gaza ‘only issue’ still to be resolved in push for Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Sky News understands

Published

7 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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IDF presence in Gaza 'only issue' still to be resolved in push for Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Sky News understands

Only one issue remains unresolved in the push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Sky sources.

Intense negotiations are taking place in Qatar in parallel with key talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations have told Sky News that disagreement between Israel and Hamas remains on the status and presence of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza.

The two sides have bridged significant differences on several other issues, including the process of delivering humanitarian aid and Hamas’s demand that the US guarantees to ensure Israel doesn’t unilaterally resume the war when the ceasefire expires in 60 days.

On the issue of humanitarian aid, Sky News understands that a third party that neither Hamas nor Israel has control over will be used in areas from which the IDF withdraws.

This means that the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – jointly run by an American organisation and Israel – will not be able to operate anywhere where the IDF is not deployed. It will limit GHF expansion plans.

It is believed the United Nations or other recognised humanitarian organisations will adopt a greater role.

On the issue of a US guarantee to prevent Israel restarting the war, Sky News understands that a message was passed to Hamas by Dr Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American who has emerged as a key back channel in the negotiations.

The message appears to have been enough to convince Hamas that President Trump will prevent Israel from restarting the conflict.

However, there is no sense from any of the developments over the course of the past day about what the future of Gaza looks like longer-term.

Final challenge is huge

The last remaining disagreement is, predictably, the trickiest to bridge.

Israel’s central war aim, beyond the return of the hostages, is the total elimination of Hamas as a military and political organisation. The withdrawal of the IDF, partial or total, could allow Hamas to regroup.

One way to overcome this would be to provide wider guarantees of clear deliverable pathways to a viable future for Palestinians.

But there is no sense from the negotiations of any longer-term commitments on this issue.

Two key blocks have been resolved over the past 24 hours but the final challenge is huge.

The conflict in Gaza erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 20 hostages are believed to remain alive in Gaza.

Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

World

‘Widespread sexual violence’ took place during Hamas’s 7 October attacks, report by Israeli experts says

Published

16 hours ago

July 8, 2025

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'Widespread sexual violence' took place during Hamas's 7 October attacks, report by Israeli experts says

A newly released report led by Israeli legal and gender experts presents detailed evidence alleging “widespread and systematic” sexual violence during the Hamas-led terror attack on 7 October.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence

The findings, published by the Dinah Project, argue that these acts amount to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and assert that “Hamas used sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war”.

The report draws on 18 months of investigation and is based on survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and interviews with first responders, morgue personnel and healthcare professionals.

According to the Dinah Project, the documented patterns – such as forced nudity, gang rapes, genital mutilation, and threats of forced marriage – indicate a deliberate and coordinated use of sexual violence by Hamas operatives during the attack.

Reported incidents span at least six locations, including the Nova music festival, and several kibbutzim in southern Israel.

One section of the report describes victims “found fully or partially naked from the waist down, with their hands tied behind their backs and/or to structures such as trees and poles, and shot”.

At the Nova music festival and surrounding areas, the investigators found “reasonable grounds to believe” that multiple women were raped or gang-raped before being killed.

The report’s findings are consistent with earlier investigations by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict previously concluded that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” CRSV took place during the attack.

Significantly, the Dinah Project urges the international community to officially recognise the use of sexual violence by Hamas as a deliberate strategy of war and calls on the United Nations to add Hamas to its list of parties responsible for conflict-related sexual violence.

The nature and scale of sexual violence on 7 October have been a subject of intense controversy, with some accusing parties of weaponising the narrative for political ends.

This report seeks to confront what its authors call “denial, misinformation, and global silence,” and to provide justice for the victims.

Hamas has denied that its fighters have used sexual violence and mistreated female hostages.