By: Sam Gruetter

Opinion Editor

On Oct.7, 2023, members of the Palestine-based group Hamas kidnapped over 200 hostages from inside Israel, including five attendees from the Re’im music festival and one from a nearby farming community. Hamas took the hostages to gain leverage with Israel, initiating negotiations for the hostages and a free Palestinian state. In November 2023, Israel and Hamas reached their first cease fire agreement where, for four days, Israel exchanged 150 Palestinian prisoners for 50 Israeli hostages. Among this group were supposed to be Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, and Carmel Gat; however, their release was delayed. These hostages were a part of the six hostages Hamas killed in a system of underground tunnels on Sunday, Sept. 29. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found and identified the bodies of the deceased in a tunnel under Rafah, an incident to which President Biden responded saying, “I am devastated and outraged.” Among the deceased is Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was 23 years old at the time of his death. His autopsy reports that Hamas members shot him at close range and that he most likely died one to two days before Israeli military forces recovered his body in the systems of underground tunnels. Various other autopsy reports assume Hamas killed the other hostages in a similar manner. The deceased hostages are Eden Yerushalmi (24), Carmel Gat (40), Alexander Lobanov (32), Almog Sarusi (27), Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), and Master Sgt. Ori Danino (25). 

It seems there are no alternative ways to bring the remaining hostages home other than through negotiations, as Hamas has threatened to kill the remaining 97 hostages if Israel attempts to forcefully rescue them. Additionally, Hamas has blamed the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the deaths of the six hostages, arguing that Netanyahu is unnecessarily prolonging the war and postponing the process of reaching a permanent ceasefire. One of the primary obstacles that is hindering plans for a ceasefire is Israel’s occupation of the Philadelphi corridor, located on the Egypt and Gaza border. In a September press conference Netanyahu announced his refusal to leave the corridor, to which Hamas responded that they would refuse any deals with Israel until Israeli military forces withdrew from the corridor. 

After the recovery of the hostages’ remains, citizens from around the world began protesting and hosting demonstrations, urging Israel and Palestine to reach a ceasefire agreement and send the remaining hostages home. Shortly after the hostages’ deaths, Hamas released a video of Eden Yerushalmi before her death, where she implores the people of Israel to reach a cease-fire agreement. This sentiment is felt by many groups who are advocating for a ceasefire around the world. 

(Sources:ABC, CNN, NBC, Wikipedia)