Hostages killed by Hamas night before forces reached tunnel, Israel says

TEL AVIV — The six hostages, found dead in Gaza, were executed by Hamas the night before Israeli forces reached the tunnel where they were being held, government officials said Tuesday night.

The victims, including 23-year-old American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were killed on the evening of Aug. 29, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, citing postmortem examinations of the bodies.

The IDF said it reached that tunnel and made the gruesome discovery on Aug. 30. It's believed two gunmen using two separate weapons killed the half-dozen hostages.

AK-47 magazines and shell casings were allegedly found nearby, Israeli officials said.

"It was a hard moment to see the bloodstains on the floor," said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson.

The victims' families have been shown footage of the tunnel, about 20 meters underground and 120 meters long, where their loved ones were being held and later found dead, officials said.

It was a tight fit for anyone inside the tunnel, which was about 5 1/2 feet high so no one could to stand up fully, according to the IDF.

The dead have been identified as Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino.

The slaughter of these six hostages has brought more pressure on the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire and end the ongoing bloodshed and humanitarian crisis.

More than 40,900 people have been killed in Gaza, health officials in the enclave have said, since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas fighters invading the Jewish state on Oct. 7.

That's when about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 250 people taken hostage.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.