Israeli American Hostage Whose Parents Spoke At DNC Is Among 6 Captives Killed

The Israeli American hostage who was taken captive by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 ― and whose parents tearfully begged leaders for a cease-fire at this month’s Democratic National Convention ― is confirmed to be among the six captives found dead on Saturday in Gaza, joining the ever-growing toll from almost a year of violence in the region.

Israeli forces said they recovered the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel under the southern Gaza city of Rafah: 25-year-old Ori Danino, 24-year-old Eden Yerushalmi, 27-year-old Almog Sarusi, 33-year-old Alexander Lobanov, 40-year-old Carmel Gat and 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The victims were allegedly found about half a mile from where soldiers rescued 52-year-old Qaid Farhan Alkadi alive last week.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani claimed that Hamas killed all six captives shortly before soldiers arrived to rescue them, while Hamas officials maintained that the victims were killed by Israel’s own airstrikes. Citing Israeli officials, Axios reported that it is still unclear exactly when and how the captives were killed.

Goldberg-Polin, the youngest of the six victims, was a California native attending the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked, killing hundreds of concertgoers and taking him and four others captive. Militants captured the sixth person, Gat, from the nearby Israeli farming community of Be’eri.

Part of Goldberg-Polin’s left arm was reportedly blown off by a grenade during the attack, and in April a Hamas-issued video showed him alive with an amputated left hand. The video led to Israelis angrily renewing protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for not doing enough to secure the