Six hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October terror attack on Israel were murdered shortly before Israeli forces reached them on Saturday night in tunnels under Gaza.
Five of the six hostages were kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival.
Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, and Eden Yerushalmi were “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them”, the Israeli military said on Sunday.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said the bodies were found “during combat” in Rafah, in a tunnel about one kilometre from where soldiers rescued fellow hostage Farhan Alkadi last week.
“A few hours ago, we informed the families that the bodies of their loved ones had been located by IDF troops in an underground tunnel in Rafah,” he said.
“According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them.”
The IDF did not have information about the exact location of the hostages. After Alkadi was found, soldiers had been instructed to act with “extra caution” in case other Israelis were in the area.
“Combat was ongoing above ground, and the troops eliminated terrorists even during the battles there yesterday,” he said.
US President Joe Biden said earlier that his staff were in contact with the Israelis and confirmed that they had discovered bodies in Gaza. He was unsure of the exact number of bodies.
Mr Biden, speaking to reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, said he was “still optimistic,” about a ceasefire deal to stop the conflict.
“I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement,” he said. “It’s time this war ended.”
Mr Biden added that “people are continuing to meet”.
“We think we can close the deal, they’ve all said they agree on the principles”.