Netanyahu to ‘settle the score’ with Hamas after six hostages shot in the head

At least three of the named hostages were due to be exchanged in ceasefire deal that recently collapsed, says senior Israeli official

Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “settle the score” with Hamas after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the bodies of six “murdered” hostages from a tunnel in Gaza on Saturday.
Sources close to the investigation said the captives had been shot in the head in the southern city of Rafah.
On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told Hamas leaders that “we will hunt you down, we will catch you and we will settle the score”. He said “those who kill hostages do not want an agreement” for a Gaza truce.
However, Mr Netanyahu has also been blamed by close allies for causing the deaths by refusing to agree to the latest terms of a ceasefire deal, which included the release of three of the killed hostages.
Thousands of Israelis began taking to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest against the Netanyahu government, with some clashing with police. They are being urged to demonstrate again on Sunday. Protesters are also meeting unions to push for a general strike.
Israel said the hostages had been “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them”. Initial investigations suggest they died from bullet wounds to the head.
The hostages were all kidnapped on Oct 7 and were found in Rafah, roughly one kilometre from the tunnel where Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi, another hostage, was found earlier this week.
Among those found on Saturday was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli, who was seen alive with a hand missing in a proof-of-life video published by Hamas earlier this year.
The others discovered were Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Eden Yerushalmi.
Hamas denied killing the hostages, and said at least three had been due to be exchanged in a ceasefire deal that recently collapsed. A senior Israeli official confirmed this to The Telegraph.
“Hersh, Carmel and Eden were all on the list of hostages set to be released in the July 2 ceasefire proposal presented by Biden. We could have saved them,” the official said.
The Hostages Forum, which represents families of captives, issued a statement on Sunday morning, announcing a “complete halt of the country” through mass demonstrations.
Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Unity opposition party, also called on the public to demonstrate against the government on Sunday.
Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, sent her condolences to the family of Mr Goldberg-Polin, saying: “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 the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.”
Mr Goldberg-Polin, who was 23, was the born in the US before immigrating to Israel with his parents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, at the age of seven.
He attended the Nova music festival, where his arm was injured during the terror attack. On April 24, Hamas released a video of Mr Hersh showing his amputated hand. 
Alexander Lobanov, 32, from the coastal city of Ashkelon, was also kidnapped from the Nova festival, where he worked as a bar manager.
Mr Lobanov leaves behind two children, a two-year-old and a five-month-old who was born while he was in captivity. Testimonies indicate that he helped evacuate people and ran with five others in the Be’eri forest. While they escaped, he was captured, according to the Hostages Forum.
Carmel Gat, 40, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, where she was visiting her parents, Eshel and Kinneret. Ms Gat was an occupational therapist, “full of compassion and love, always finding ways to support and help others. She loved solo travel, meeting new people, live rock music concerts, and was particularly fond of Radiohead”, the Hostages Forum said.
“After 50 days without a sign of life, the family received testimonies from returned hostages, who described Carmel as their guardian angel. To survive captivity, she taught them meditation and yoga exercises.”
Almog Sarusi, 27, from the central Israeli city of Ra’anana, was kidnapped from the Nova festival. He attended the festival with his girlfriend Shahar, who was killed by terrorists during the massacre.
The Hostages Forum described him as a “vibrant, positive person who loved travelling around Israel in his white Jeep with his guitar”. Mr Sarusi was the son of Yigal and Nira, and brother to Amit.
Eden Yerushalmi, 24, from Tel Aviv was kidnapped from the Nova festival, where she worked as a bartender.  The Hostages Forum said Ms Yerushalmi called the police during the terror attack, describing the situation and pleading: “Find me, ok?”
It added: “For four hours afterward, she spoke with her sisters May and Shani, who heard everything she went through as she tried to escape. Her last words were: ‘Shani, they’ve caught me’.”
Ms Yerushalmi was described as “a vibrant young woman with many friends and hobbies, Eden loved spending summer days at the beach playing paddleball, attending parties, and was studying to become a Pilates instructor”. She leaves two siblings, May and Shani, and her parents, Shirit and Maor.
Ori Danino, 25, from Jerusalem, was also kidnapped from Nova, driving back to help others escape and survive. Mr Danino was the son of Einav and Elchanan, the eldest of five siblings, and partner to Liel.
He planned to begin his academic studies in electrical engineering, was known for “his ambition, love for people, and was beloved by all. He loved nature, and was very handy,” according to the forum.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, warned that hostages may die as a result of the collapsed ceasefire deal in the security cabinet meeting earlier this week, according to reports in Israeli media.
The security cabinet voted to keep IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, a buffer zone separating Gaza from Egypt and the main sticking point in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
“The entire nation will stand alongside the hostages’ families to protest the cabinet’s ongoing neglect of the hostages,” the Hostages Forum said.
Protests will take place in Jerusalem during a cabinet meeting at 4pm local time on Sunday, and outside the Defence Ministry HQ in Tel Aviv at 7pm local time. “They will also call upon leaders of the world to exert all possible pressure on Hamas to sign the deal,” the Hostages Forum said.
Mr Gantz, who resigned from the war cabinet earlier this year, said: “Netanyahu hesitates, is afraid and plays for time due to political considerations instead of acting. A game that costs human life.
“This morning our students go to school, and the public has to go out into the street. The time has come to replace the government of absolute failure. Go out and demonstrate,” he added.
Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, also lashed out at the government, saying: “Instead of making a deal they are doing politics, instead of saving lives they are burying the hostages. Instead of doing everything to bring them home, Netanyahu is doing everything to stay in power. The government of disasters is burying the State of Israel.” 
President Isaac Herzog said the “heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces with the news of the murder” of the hostages. “On behalf of the state of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart, and apologise for failing to bring them home safely,” he added.
At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, the enclave’s health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
On Saturday, clashes broke out between Israeli troops and members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the occupied West Bank as Israel pushed ahead with a military operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin. Hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids since Wednesday in one of their largest actions in the West Bank in months.
Joe Biden, the US president, speaking to reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, said he was “still optimistic” about a ceasefire deal to stop the conflict, adding: “I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement. It’s time this war ended.”