Who were the 6 hostages whose bodies the Israeli military recovered from Gaza?

JERUSALEM — Israel said early Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the Gaza war, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had led a high-profile campaign for the captives’ release.

The military said the six were killed shortly before Israeli forces were to rescue them and that the bodies were found in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The news sparked calls for mass protests by families of the hostages who said they could have been returned alive in a cease-fire deal.

Goldberg-Polin and four other hostages were taken from a music festival where Palestinian militants killed scores of people. The sixth was captured from a nearby farming community.

Here’s a look at the hostages:

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23

His parents, U.S.-born immigrants to Israel, became perhaps the most high-profile relatives of hostages on the international stage. They met with U.S. President Joe Biden, Pope Francis and others and addressed the United Nations, urging the release of all hostages.

On Aug. 21, his parents addressed a hushed hall at the Democratic National Convention – after sustained applause and chants of “bring him home.”

“This is a political convention. But needing our only son – and all of the cherished hostages – home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said his father, Jon Polin. His mother, Rachel, who bowed her head during the ovation and touched her chest, said: “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive.”

They sought to keep their son and the other captives from being reduced to numbers, describing Hersh as a music and soccer lover and traveler with plans to attend university since his military service had ended. At events, Rachel often addressed her son directly, urging him to live another day.

Both wore stickers with the number 320, representing the number of days their son had been held. It had long become part of a morning ritual – tear a new piece of tape, write down another day.

Eden Yerushalmi, 24

She was working as a bartender at the open-air Tribe of Nova music festival. When Hamas’ initial rocket attack set off air raid sirens she sent a video to her family, saying she was leaving the party. During the attack, she called the police and was in contact with her sisters over the next four hours, the forum said.

“They’ve caught me,” were her last words to them.

Carmel Gat, 40

She was staying with her parents in Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities, when militants broke into their home and kidnapped her on the morning of Oct. 7. Her parents were killed in the attack.

Hostages who were released during a cease-fire in November said she taught them meditation and yoga exercises to help them survive in captivity.

Alexander Lobanov, 33

The forum, citing witnesses, said he helped evacuate people from the festival and ran with others before being abducted. It said the others managed to escape.

Almog Sarusi, 27

The forum said Sarusi stayed with her after she was wounded, and was then abducted.

Ori Danino, 25

It said he was kidnapped from the Nova festival while driving back and trying to help others to escape.