Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will not rest until it arrests those responsible for the killing of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, in his statement, said that the Israel dpledged to reach an agreement to release the hostages and ensure Israel’s security.

“Anyone who murders hostages does not want a deal,” Netanyahu said.

Notably, several hours after the Israeli military announced it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying his government is committed to reaching a ceasefire agreement and blames the failure on Hamas.

“Along with all the citizens of Israel, I am shocked to the core by the terrible cold-blooded killing of six of the hostages,” Netanyahu said, expressing his “deep appreciation” for the IDF and Shin security service fighters Beth “who are risking their lives for the return of our sons and daughters.”

“I say to the Hamas terrorists who murdered our abductees and I say to their leaders – you have lost your lives. We will not be quiet and we will not be silent. We will hunt you down, catch you and bring you to account,” Netanyahu threatened.

“Since December, Hamas has refused to hold real negotiations. Three months ago, on May 27, Israel agreed to a hostage release deal with the full support of the United States. Hamas refused. Even after the United States updated the framework of the agreement on August 16, we agreed and Hamas refused again,” Netanyahu states — claiming that even now, “while Israel is conducting intensive negotiations with mediators in a supreme effort to reach an agreement , Hamas continues to strongly reject any offer.”

“Worse than that, at that very moment he murdered six of our hostages,” he continues, arguing that “he who murders hostages does not want a deal.”

Nevertheless, “the Israeli government is committed, and I personally am committed, to continue to pursue an agreement that will return all of our hostages and guarantee our security and our existence,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu’s statement is delayed – Criticism from the families

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond when asked why Netanyahu took several hours to issue a statement on the matter.

Despite public comments from President Herzog and other Israeli politicians – as well as US President Joe Biden and US Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris – Netanyahu remained silent for hours after the Israeli military’s announcement this morning , drawing criticism from the families of the hostages and the opposition.

The Hostage and Missing Persons Forum this morning said the hostage deaths are the “direct result” of Netanyahu’s “torpedoing” of the deal negotiations and his demand that the Israeli military maintain a presence in the Philadelphia Corridor.

According to unnamed security sources who spoke to Army Radio, three of the slain hostages whose bodies were recovered in the Gaza Strip were on the “humanitarian” list of prisoners and were to be released in the first stage of a proposed hostage deal.

For its part, Hamas blamed Israel for the hostages’ deaths. A senior Hamas official, Itzat el-Reshiq, said today that Israel, by refusing to sign a cease-fire agreement, is responsible for the deaths of Israeli hostages.

The bodies of the hostages recovered from Gaza have been identified

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.