Bodies of six hostages found in Gaza Strip, tens of thousands protest against government

The bodies of six hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel have been found in the Gaza Strip, including that of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, announced the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on the evening of Saturday, August 31.

“Earlier today [samedi] In a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas”including that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Mr. Biden explained in a statement, saying “devastated and outraged”.

For its part, the Israeli army confirmed on Sunday that it had identified the bodies of six hostages brought back from Gaza to Israel, including two women and four men, including the young Israeli-American. “The army and the Shin Bet yesterday located and recovered the bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino from a tunnel in the Rafah area of ​​the Gaza Strip.”the army said in a statement. Five of them were abducted from the Nova techno music festival by Hamas commandos during the deadly attack on October 7.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the hostages had been “killed in cold blood by Hamas just before we got to them.” “Those who kill hostages do not want an agreement,” said Benjamin Netanyahu in a recorded message broadcast on Sunday, quoted by the Israeli daily Haaretz.

Later, the Israeli Health Ministry said that an autopsy of the bodies carried out on Sunday morning had revealed that the six hostages had been killed. “from several shots at close range (…) between Thursday and Friday morning.”

Call for general strike

« [Benyamin] Netanyahu abandoned the hostages. Now it is a fact”, said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum (HMFM), an organization that brings together relatives of those abducted on October 7 by Hamas. “From tomorrow, the country will tremble, we call on the public to prepare”continues the HMFM in a press release published on the night of Saturday to Sunday on X. « [Le temps de] the neglect is over,” wrote the organization in a second post, still on X. The aim of these gatherings was to call for the immediate entry into force of an agreement for the release of the hostages.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have already gathered in several cities to demand an agreement on the release of the hostages. ” Where are you ? “shouted protesters outside the Jerusalem building where a cabinet meeting was taking place. In Tel Aviv, others blocked a highway.

The Lev cinema chain announced on Sunday that it would close its theatres in ” support ” to the families of the hostages. Several restaurant chains also closed their doors on Sunday evening.

The Histadrut, a powerful Israeli trade union, has for its part decreed a “general strike” for Monday in order to force the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to reach an agreement for the release of the hostages. “We must stop this abandonment of hostages (…). Tomorrow at 6 o’clock [5 heures, heure de Paris]the entire Israeli economy will be on general strike”Histadrut leader Arnon Bar-David said at a press conference on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on his Facebook page for the Histadrut, municipalities and employers to “general strike”. “They were alive”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu and his death cabinet have decided not to save them. There are still hostages alive, we can still make a deal.”Lapid added. He was referring to a cabinet vote Thursday endorsing an Israeli condition for a ceasefire deal that Hamas and Egypt reject outright.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on Sunday “an immediate cabinet meeting to reverse this decision”. “It is too late for the hostages who were killed in cold blood, we must bring back the hostages still in the hands of Hamas”he continued.

Josep Borrell « horrified »

“Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement that secures the release of the remaining hostages.”said Joe Biden.

Speaking of the young man’s parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, who “relentlessly and irrepressibly defended their son and all the hostages held in unacceptable conditions”he confided “admire them[r] and share[r] their grief deeper than words can express”. Mr. Biden assured that he had “worked tirelessly to ensure their beloved Hersh reached them safely” : “The news of his death breaks my heart.”

The young man’s parents had been invited to speak at the Democratic convention in August, where Kamala Harris was sworn in as the presidential candidate in November.

“Shock and indignation at the discovery of the six hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza”, writes Emmanuel Macron, . “There must be an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, including our compatriots Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon. The war must stop.”adds the head of state.

For his part, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said: “horrified”. “These innocent young men and women should have been brought to safety and reunited with their loved ones long ago. We stand with all the hostages.”Mr Borrell said on X. “We need a ceasefire to end this tragedy and bring all the hostages home”he added.

In the Hamas attack on October 7, 251 people were abducted in Israel and taken to Gaza, 97 are still being held in Gaza, of whom 33 have been declared dead by the army, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Meanwhile, also on October 7, 1,199 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on official data. These large-scale attacks sparked the ongoing war that has ravaged the Gaza Strip.