Israel’s military has announced the recovery of the bodies of six captives, including a dual US national, from a tunnel in southern Gaza amidst an 11-month long, deadly assault on the Palestinian enclave. The captives were identified as Almog Sarusi, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The captives were killed in Israeli air strikes, according to senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq.
A forum of captives’ families called for a massive protest to push for a ceasefire deal and release of the remaining captives. US President Joe Biden expressed devastation over their deaths and pledged to work for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “settle the score” with Hamas and blamed them for the deaths of the captives. Menachem Klein, a professor at Bar-Ilan University, blamed Netanyahu for refusing to strike a deal, leading to the deaths of the captives. Biden’s ceasefire deal proposal in May was rejected by Netanyahu.
Among the confirmed dead was Carmel Gat, whose cousin Gil Dickmann has been protesting daily for the release of the captives. About 100 captives remain in Gaza while 105 were released in a previous deal with Hamas. The International Criminal Court prosecutor has sought arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defence Minister for war crimes, as well as Hamas leaders.
The situation has become personal for many families affected by the captives’ deaths, with calls for Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas for their release and bring an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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