Six Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been confirmed dead after their bodies were found by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The hostages, aged between 23 and 40 years old, were “brutally murdered” a short time before Israeli forces found them in an underground tunnel on Saturday night, according to the Israeli military.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were brought back to Israel.
They were among the 250 hostages taken on 7 October when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200, according to Israeli tallies, and triggering the war.
At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
We take a look at who the six Israeli hostages were.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23
Mr Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli resident who was born in the US, was at the Nova music festival when he was taken by Hamas. According to The Hostages Families Forum, his arm was injured during the attack.
On 24 April, Hamas released a video purporting to show him with an amputated hand. Sky News has not been able to verify this.
The elder brother to two sisters, he was described as “an avid fan of the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team”.
Eden Yerushalmi, 24
One of three siblings, Ms Yerushalmi, from Tel Aviv, was a “vibrant young woman with many friends and hobbies”, The Hostages Families Forum said.
She was at the Nova festival working as a bartender when Hamas launched their attack on 7 October.
The forum has released harrowing details of her desperation as the festival came under attack, as well as her last words before being captured.
They said the aspiring pilates instructor first sent a video of rocket fire to her family group chat saying she was leaving the festival.
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She then called the police and pleaded with them to “find me, okay?”, as she relayed details of the massacre unfolding in front of her.
For four hours afterward, she spoke with her sisters May and Shani, who heard everything she went through as she tried to escape.
“Her last words were, ‘Shani, they’ve caught me’,” the forum said.
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Alexander Lobanov, 32
From Ashkelon, Mr Lobanov had a five-month-old baby who was born while he was in captivity, as well as a two-year-old child.
He was working as a bar manager at the Nova festival when he was kidnapped.
According to witnesses, Mr Lobanov helped evacuate people and ran with five others in the Be’eri forest but was captured.
Carmel Gat, 40
Ms Gat, from Tel Aviv and whose mum, Kinneret, was murdered on 7 October, was kidnapped as she stayed at her parents’ home in kibbutz Be’eri.
Her family, which includes two siblings, received accounts from returned hostages who described Ms Gat as “their guardian angel”.
“To survive captivity, she taught them meditation and yoga exercises”, the forum said about the occupational therapist’s support for fellow hostages.
She was also described as being “full of compassion and love, always finding ways to support and help others”.
Ms Gat “loved solo travel, meeting new people, live rock music concerts, and was particularly fond of Radiohead,” the forum added.
Almog Sarusi, 27
Mr Sarusi was at the Nova festival when he was kidnapped after he tried helping his wounded girlfriend of five years, Shahar, who ended up dying.
He was described as a “a vibrant, positive person who loved travelling around Israel in his white jeep with his guitar”.
Ori Danino, 25
From Jerusalem, he was the eldest of five siblings and was engaged to his fiancee called Liel. He was also kidnapped from the festival while driving back to help others escape.
Mr Danino planned to begin studying electrical engineering and “was known for his ambition, love for people, and was beloved by all”.
‘Nation’s heart shattered’
President Isaac Herzog said news of the six hostages being killed had “shattered” the “heart of an entire nation”.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart, and apologise for failing to bring them home safely.
“We will continue to fight relentlessly against the criminal, terrorist organisation Hamas, which has once again proven there is no end to its willingness to commit murder and crimes against humanity.”
