Six Israeli hostages found dead in Gaza terror tunnel after ‘brutal’ Hamas kidnapping

The six were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, with the bodies recovered from an underground tunnel in Southern Gaza.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them.”

Around 250 Israelis were taken hostage during Hamas' October 7 attack, with 1,200 people being killed.

However, Israel estimates 120 hostages remain in Gaza and many have been pronounced dead.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his sorrow at the loss of the six hostages, saying: “The heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces with the news.”

He added: “On behalf of the State of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart, and apologize for failing to bring them home safely.”

• Archaeologists recover ancient seal confirming 2,700-year-old biblical account
• Israel strikes Lebanon after Hezbollah launches hundreds of rockets in major Middle East escalation
• UK prepares for mass evacuation of 60,000 Britons amid fears of attack on Israel

However, Hamas official Izzat al-Rishaq blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American President Joe Biden for the deaths.

He said: “President Biden, if he is keen on saving their lives, must stop supporting this enemy with money and weapons and pressure the occupation to end its aggression immediately.

“The one who will pay the price for these brutal crimes and the war of genocide against our people for eleven months is Netanyahu and his extremist government and all the supporters of this aggression.”

The Hostages Families Forum claimed all six hostages were “murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture, and starvation in Hamas captivity”.

The organisation, which is urging Israelis to put pressure on Netanyahu to sign a hostage deal, added: “The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages.”

Netanyahu has been keen to push ahead with the conflict after vowing to “destroy” Hamas following the terror organisation’s atrocious attack last October.

Despite instructing IDF troops to continue to target Hamas, Netanyahu has voiced support for a “humanitarian corridor” into Gaza to faciliate the roll-out of polio vaccinations.

However, the Strip’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has claimed the death toll from Israel’s attack has now exceeded 40,000.