Tel Aviv

The Israeli Defense Forces have located and recovered the bodies of six hostages, including two women, from a tunnel in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip.

The deceased were identified as Hersh Goldberg, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lubnov and Ori Danino, Israel Foreign Ministry said in a post on social media platform X.

The IDF also rescued Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lubnov and Ori Danino.

US President Joe Biden said, "Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas. We have now confirmed that one of the hostages... was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

"Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on 7 October," the US President said.

On Thursday, Goldberg-Polin's mother Rachel had shouted into a microphone while rallying near the Gaza border, "Hersh! It's Mom.. I love you, stay strong, survive."

On April 24, Hamas released a proof-of-life video in which Goldberg-Polin said the captives were living "in hell".

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum of Israel announced major protests across the country on Sunday after the bodies of hostages were recovered.

The forum representing many relatives of hostages held in Gaza called on the public to stage major protests against the government on Sunday.

The forum has been fuelling accusations that the leadership has left the hostages to die in captivity by failing to secure a deal to return them.

Leader of Opposition Yair Lapid accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of focusing on insignificant issues as "our sons and daughters are being abandoned and are dying in captivity".

The Hamas militants had swarmed into Israel on October 7, 2023, brutally killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 people as hostages.

A total of 110 hostages are still in the captivity of Hamas and Israel has officially announced that 39 of these hostages are dead.