A group advocating for families of hostages in Gaza has placed the blame for the recent deaths of six hostages squarely on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that the bodies of the hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, were discovered in a tunnel in Rafah, Gaza. They were reportedly killed just prior to a planned rescue attempt, and Hamas has yet to respond to this assertion.
The other hostages found were Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alexander Lobanov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40. These individuals were captured during the Hamas attack on October 7, which claimed over 1,200 lives and left around 250 people taken hostage. Since then, Israel’s response in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, leading to widespread displacement of the area’s 2.3 million residents and a humanitarian crisis.
The families of the hostages are now calling for large-scale protests against Netanyahu, accusing him of failing to secure the return of their loved ones during ongoing negotiations with Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticized the government’s handling of the situation, highlighting that a potential ceasefire deal has been on the table for over two months.
In a statement, the forum remarked, “For 11 months, Netanyahu’s government has not done what is expected—bringing our sons and daughters home. The time has come for action.” They are urging citizens to participate in a significant demonstration calling for an immediate resolution to bring the hostages back.
President Joe Biden expressed his devastation over the news. He recognized the relentless efforts of Goldberg-Polin’s parents and reiterated his commitment to securing the release of all hostages, indicating that Hamas leaders would be held accountable for their actions.
Hamas has proposed a hostage release in exchange for ending the war and the departure of Israeli forces from Gaza, alongside the release of many Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu, however, has committed to continuing the military campaign until Hamas is defeated.
Before the discovery of the hostages’ bodies, estimates indicated that around 108 hostages were still believed to be in Gaza, with about a third presumed dead. Notably, over 100 hostages were released during a ceasefire in November, and eight have been rescued by Israeli forces.
Controversially, earlier Israeli operations to free hostages have reportedly resulted in numerous Palestinian casualties, and past incidents have tragically claimed the lives of some hostages during rescue attempts.