US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued a strong statement condemning Hamas after the Israeli military identified six bodies of Gaza hostages, including Israeli-American man Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
The bodies of five other individuals were found underground in the city of Rafah and returned to Israel on Saturday. After all the deceased were identified, Biden mourned the death of Goldberg-Polin. His condolences came less than two weeks after his parents prayed for their son’s return during a speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in Chicago.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
“On October 7, Hersh Goldberg-Polin—an American citizen—was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. He was just 23 years old, attending a music festival with friends. We now know he was murdered by Hamas. His body was recovered today in the tunnels under Rafah, along with five other hostages,” Biden said in a statement released by White House.
Describing Hamas as an “evil terrorist” organisation, Biden strongly condemned Hamas’ continued brutality, saying that the Palestinian outfit has “American blood on its hands.” The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel—and American citizens in Israel—must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza, he said in a emotionally charged statement.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino were found and recovered yesterday.They were all taken hostage on October 7 and were murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization while in captivity… pic.twitter.com/9VWYHNX0Ks
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 1, 2024
‘Murdered by Hamas’
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli media reports indicated that the bodies of six hostages were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza, where they were killed shortly before Israeli troops arrived. “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 told reporters in a briefing.
After the IDF broke the news, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement calling on the public to prepare to hold sweeping protests tomorrow. “Netanyahu (Prime Minister) abandoned the hostages. “Starting tomorrow, the country will tremble. We call on the public to prepare. The country will grind to a halt. The abandonment is over.”
This report came as clashes broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the West Bank on Saturday as Israel pushed ahead with a military operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin. Hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids since Wednesday in one of their largest actions in the West Bank in months.
(With agency inputs)
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