The Israeli military has confirmed that the bodies recovered from a tunnel in the Rafah area of ​​the Gaza Strip belong to hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.

The hostages are: Carmel Gat, 40, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Herz Goldberg-Paulin, 23, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarousi, 25, and Ori Danino, 25 he said in a statement.

According to the IDF, the six were killed by Hamas about a day or two before troops found them.

Israeli forces did not have the exact location of the hostages, but had indications of the area where the six might be held. The military says it was cautiously venturing into the area because of the possibility that hostages were being held there.

Troops yesterday began searching a tunnel complex until they found the hostages dead in the afternoon. During the night their bodies were recovered from Gaza and taken to Israel for identification.

The military said there were no clashes with Hamas terrorists inside the tunnel and the guards who probably killed the six fled the area.

The tunnel in which the slain hostages were found, in Rafah, is about a kilometer from where soldiers found hostage Farhan al-Qadi earlier this week.

Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Danino, Lobanov and Sarousi were abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im by Hamas militants on October 7, while Gat was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri.

Immediately after the news of the death of the six hostages, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum criticized the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for his handling of the negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement and the return of those kidnapped by Hamas.

Biden: Hamas will pay

The White House announced earlier today that one of the bodies recovered from Gaza was that of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Paulin.

“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said. “Hers was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a peace music festival in Israel on October 7. He lost his hand helping friends and strangers during the brutal slaughter of Hamas.”

“It is both tragic and reprehensible,” he said. “Make no mistake, the leaders of Hamas will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock for an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

Biden said he had “worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hearst home safely”; “I am devastated by the news of his death.”

Goldberg-Paulin’s family also confirmed that he was killed. The family issued a statement early Sunday, hours after the Israeli military said it had found bodies in Gaza.

“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Paulin family is devastated to announce the passing of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” it said. “The family thanks you all for your love and support and requests privacy at this time.”

Goldberg-Paulin was one of the most high-profile hostages as his parents had met with world leaders and lobbied for their help. Earlier this month, they spoke at the Democratic convention, where the crowd chanted “bring them home.”

There was no immediate comment from the military regarding details of the exact circumstances of his death or the identities of the other bodies. However, Biden said a total of six bodies were pulled from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Kamala Harris: Hamas must be eliminated

Vice President Kamala Harris says in a statement that Hamas “must be eliminated” and cannot be allowed to control Gaza after announcing the deaths of US citizen Hersh Goldberg-Paulin and five other hostages in Gaza.

Harris offers her condolences to Goldberg-Paulin’s parents, John and Rachel, and states, “I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world. President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.”

“Hamas is an evil terrorist organization. With these killings, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands. I strongly condemn the continued brutality of Hamas, as does the entire world. From the massacre of 1,200 people to the sexual violence, hostage-taking and these murders, the depravity of Hamas is evident and appalling,” he says.