World leaders shocked by deaths of six Israeli hostages in Gaza | World News

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “heartbreaking” to learn that six Israeli hostages had been killed by Hamas. Speaking to X, he said: “It is heartbreaking to learn that six Israeli hostages have been killed by Hamas. Australians extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones and to all those grieving their loss. Every innocent life matters.”

Emmanuel Macron expressed his “shock and indignation” after the discovery of six Israeli hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza. He called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages. In a message on X, Macron said: “Shock and indignation after the discovery of the six hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza. My thoughts are with their loved ones. We need an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, including our compatriots Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for the release of all Hamas hostages. He added that a ceasefire agreement must be reached immediately by all parties to end the suffering.

“I am deeply shocked by the horrific and senseless massacre of six hostages in Gaza by Hamas. My thoughts are with their loved ones at this terrible time. Hamas must release all hostages now, and a ceasefire agreement must be reached immediately by all parties to end the suffering,” Keir Starmer said on X.

US President Joe Biden said he was shocked and outraged by the massacre of Israeli hostages. He added that Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen, was among those killed by Hamas.

In a statement shared by the White House, Biden said: “Earlier today, in a tunnel beneath the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas. We have now confirmed that one of the hostages killed by these vicious Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

“I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocent people brutally attacked while attending a peace music festival in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers in the savage Hamas massacre. He had just turned 23,” he added.

Calling Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents “brave, wise and determined,” Biden said he admired them and grieved with them more deeply than words can express.

Biden said: “I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh home safely and am heartbroken by the news of his death. This is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas’s leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that the killing of the hostages further confirmed “the depravity of Hamas” and called for the immediate release of all hostages.

In a message shared on X, Blinken said: “Hersh Goldberg-Polin is an American hero who will be remembered for his kindness and selflessness. Our hearts break for Jon, Rachel, and their entire family, and for the other families who learned today that their loved ones will not be coming home. May their memory be a blessing.”

“The killing of these hostages only confirms the depravity of Hamas. They must release all hostages immediately. We will continue to work with our partners in the region to secure an agreement without delay that releases the remaining hostages,” he added. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that an Israeli-American citizen, Goldberg-Polin, who has become a symbol of the hostage crisis, was killed by Hamas along with five other hostages before their bodies were found in Gaza on Saturday, CNN reported.

Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Lobanov, Sarusi and Danino were abducted during the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, while Gat was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri, according to the Times of Israel report.

Citing an investigation by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, the Israeli Health Ministry said their bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the ministry, the hostages were murdered between 48 and 72 hours before their autopsy, between Thursday and Friday morning.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the six victims were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before the troops arrived, The Times of Israel reported.

At a press conference, Hagari said: “According to an initial assessment… they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them. They were abducted alive on the morning of October 7 by the Hamas terrorist group.” He added: “Their bodies were found during the fighting in Rafah, in a tunnel, about a kilometer from the one from which we rescued Farhan al-Qadi a few days ago.”

The Israeli military said it was not aware of the exact location of the hostages, but had indications of a general area where the six hostages may have been held, and was therefore operating cautiously in the area.

Daniel Hagari said: “Since Farhan was found, the troops were forced to operate with even more caution than usual, as it was known that other hostages could be in the area. We had no information about the exact location of the hostages,” the Times of Israel reported.

Troops began searching the tunnel complex, some 20 meters underground, on Saturday and found the hostages dead in the afternoon. Their bodies were found in Gaza overnight and brought to Israel for identification.

The Israeli military said there were no clashes with Hamas terrorists inside the tunnel and that the guards who likely killed the six people fled. However, soldiers fought the terrorists on the surface in the area where the tunnel was located.

An estimated 97 of the 251 hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 people confirmed dead by the Israeli military, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

Hamas released 105 civilians during a week-long truce in late November, and four hostages were freed before that. Troops rescued eight hostages alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages were recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the army as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.

Israelis took to the streets in large numbers, demanding a ceasefire and the return of prisoners held by Hamas, Al Jazeera reported.

Protesters chanted “Now! Now!” and demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas to bring home the remaining captives.

Clashes between protesters and security forces were reported Sunday evening during one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in Israel since the Gaza war began nearly 11 months ago, according to an Al Jazeera report.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said the deaths of the six hostages were a direct result of Netanyahu’s failure to reach a deal to end the fighting and bring their loved ones home.