Families of hostages announced Sunday morning the deaths of six captives in the Gaza Strip, hours after the IDF said it had found several bodies during operational activity in the Gaza Strip. They were named as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lobanov and Almog Sarusi – all taken on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists.
According to the military, the hostages were most likely killed several days earlier by Hamas terrorists. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the extraction of the hostages from a tunnel in Southern Gaza was not part of a failed rescue mission and that they were found about a mile from where Qaid Farhan-Alkadi, a bedouin from southern Israel, was found alive several days earlier.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was 23 at the time of his abduction, is an American-Israeli citizen. He attended the Nova music festival with his close friend Aner Shapira, who did not survive. The two sought shelter in a fortified structure that came to be known as the "death shelter," from which Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped. His hand was severed during the attack on the shelter.
On April 2, 2024, Hamas released a video of Goldberg-Polin in captivity, which was the first proof of life his family had received. About two months ago, his family permitted the publication of footage of his abduction along with hostages Or Levy and Eliya Cohen.
As mentioned, at the end of April, Hamas released the first proof of life from him after 201 days. The video, lasting several minutes, shows him addressing his family and reveals his injury and a severed hand.
Following the video's release, his father, Jon, said, "Seeing and hearing him strengthened our hope, but we have reasons to be concerned about his health."
Since his abduction, his parents have led a cross-continental campaign. They even met with US President Joe Biden during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States, stating, "Any side that thinks they will gain politically by delaying the deal is mistaken."
Ori Danino was 24 years old when he was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7. Ori , who had already managed to escape from the festival area in Re'im, turned back to help rescue friends he knew from the party: Maya and Itai Regev, and Omer Shem-Tov. On their way, they were shot at by terrorists and abducted.
Danino was taken separately by the terrorists, and his fate remained unclear. His disappearance remained a mystery for months. "I open my eyes, and I don't see anyone in the driver's seat," Itai Regev described the moments of the abduction.
Danino came from an ultra-Orthodox family. His parents, Einav and Elchanan, have been actively working for his release both in Israel and abroad. "He simply decided to take action, and that's Uri," his mother, Einav, said. "He's all about giving, and that's his heroism."
Before he was kidnapped, Uri had planned to move in with his girlfriend Liel and start his undergraduate studies. "We talked up until a minute before the kidnapping. He told me on the phone, 'I can't talk to you, someone was shot in the head and I'm hiding in the forest,'" Liel recounted.
Eden Yerushalmi marked her 24th birthday on her first Saturday in captivity. She was supposed to fly to Greece but was kidnapped to Gaza from the party in Re'im (Nova). When the attack on the party began on Saturday morning, Eden called her mother Shirit at 7:20 a.m, screaming, "They're shooting at us." Her sister Shani took charge, and for four hours, while Eden was on the run, the two were on the phone.
The heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces with the news of the murder of Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lonanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi, whose bodies were brought back from Gaza in a military operation.
On behalf of the State of…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) September 1, 2024
Shani recounted in an interview with Israel Hayom: "I heard everything – the gunshots, the screams, the shouts of 'Allahu Akbar,' Eden's fearful panting and whispers." She added, "I managed to keep her on the line for four hours, keeping her calm. She was very scared. After an hour and a half, the call was disconnected because her battery died, so she took a phone from a friend who had been killed, and we continued talking. At one point, she said she was injured because her entire arm was covered in blood. I asked her to feel her arm carefully, and she couldn't find any wound. It was her friend's blood. There was a stage where she only whispered because she was hiding, and later she pretended to be dead."
In recordings later released by the family, Eden can be heard telling her sister, "Shani, they caught me, they caught me," and the haunting words, "Find me. Okay?" Her sister recounted, "He [the terrorist] is calling her to come, not shooting at her. Shani managed to send us her exact location. They later sent scouts there but didn't find her and didn't find any signs of blood. That's why we believe she's in captivity. I really feel it strongly. She's alive and she's scared," Shani said at the time.
Carmel Gat marked her 40th birthday in Hamas captivity after being abducted from her parents' home in Be'eri, as her father watched helplessly, having survived the Oct. 7 attack. Carmel, a student pursuing a degree in occupational therapy, had returned from a three-month trip to India just days earlier.
On Oct. 7., her mother, Kinneret, was killed, and Carmel was taken hostage. Her brother Alon, sister-in-law Yarden, and their daughter Gefen were also kidnapped. However, Alon and Gefen managed to escape, while Yarden was later released in a hostage deal.
Carmel's family received proof of life through various released hostages who returned from Hamas captivity. According to testimonies from those who returned, Carmel led yoga and meditation sessions in captivity to calm and comfort her fellow hostages.
Her cousin, Gil Dickman, shared in an Israel Hayom project, "Even when Carmel was a child, she cared for us in a motherly way. She loves children very much. She grew up in Be'eri but left relatively early. She's an independent person, and her personal freedom is very important to her. Those who were with her in captivity reported that she took care of the children, made sure they kept track of the days to maintain a connection with reality, and led guided imagery, meditation, and yoga sessions for them – that's Carmel, always caring for others, attentive to their needs, a beacon of light for those around her."
Alex Lobanov, 32 at the time of his abduction, leaves behind a wife and two sons: Tom, the eldest, and Kai, the younger one, who was born after his father was taken hostage.
Alex worked as a bar manager at the Nova Music Festival. In his last conversation with his wife Michal, he told her he was fleeing from terrorists' gunfire. Contact with him was lost after that. Alex and Michal met 10 years ago. He worked as a chef in a restaurant in Ashkelon, and she worked there as a waitress. Alex was a nature enthusiast who loved the sea, was an avid jeep tour enthusiast, and volunteered with the Yedidim association.
Less than two weeks ago, his wife Michal tearfully told a Knesset committee, "We have two children. Kai, the baby, never got to meet his father. This was a birth that happened without a father and husband. I want to tell you that it's not easy for me to sit here. I need to take medication to stay sane. I breathe to maintain my family, who needs me. I have two parents without whom I am nothing. My parents work around the clock, so there's food at home to support me and my children. They take care of me mentally and physically and are not considered immediate family."
Last May, the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary. Michal wrote in a column in Israel Hayom, "Alex was kidnapped from the party in Re'im after working there as a bar manager. He went there to provide for our family, left home, and didn't return. Tom, our eldest son, is only two and a half years old. It's hard to explain to a child that age where dad disappeared to because he doesn't really understand yet. They were very close and he feels his absence. He looks for him at home, which can catch me in unexpected moments when he suddenly remembers Alex. He points at a picture or runs to his jeep. Every time Tom remembers Alex, I try to emphasize that his dad loves him, but he's not here. We don't give up on the thought that he will return to us. The days go by, and it's already too long. In recent months, we cling to hope and believe that Alex is surviving and strong and that he will return to us. Happy anniversary, my love. The boys and I are waiting for you at home and praying every moment."
Almog Sarusi, 27, was kidnapped from the music festival in Re'im, which he attended with his friend Shahar. On Oct. 7, when terrorists attacked the festival and explosions began, Almog and Shahar tried to escape in a car with other friends. Shahar was critically wounded by gunfire, and Almog stayed by her side, attempting to save her. He was unable to save her and was taken captive to Gaza.
Almog's family and friends described him after his abduction as a brilliant, funny guy who was everyone's friend.
"Full of life, he was a nature and people lover who traveled across the country in his white jeep with his guitar. Almog works in lighting and sound. His captivating smile, intelligence, and level-headed voice made everyone who worked alongside him understand that if Almog was on site, everything would be fine. They spoke of a young man who "has an amazing ability to draw everyone to him."
Almog leaves behind his parents and brother. At a press conference held shortly after his and many others' abduction, Yigal Sarusi, Almog's father, said, "We face a cruel enemy. A deal of everyone for everyone is acceptable, and we hope it will materialize soon."
