These six hostages were abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attack and have now been identified and returned to Israel.
Earlier today, the Israeli military confirmed the discovery of these bodies, believed to be hostages. The family of 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin also confirmed his death in Gaza.
“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. They expressed gratitude for the support they received and requested privacy during this difficult time.
Goldberg-Polin was one of the most well-known hostages, as his parents had tirelessly advocated for global leaders’ intervention. Last month, they spoke at the Democratic Party conference, where the crowd chanted, “Bring them home.”
The White House also issued a statement, confirming that earlier today, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Rafah, one of whom was Goldberg-Polin, a U.S. citizen.