The Israeli army has killed two Hamas terrorists who held the six recently murdered hostages.
Israeli army forces killed the two terrorists shortly after the rescue of Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Almog Sarusi.
“One day after the murder of the hostages, units of the 162nd Division identified two terrorists emerging from a nearby tunnel in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah and killed them in the firefight,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.
DNA samples suggested the two Hamas terrorists killed were involved in the captivity of the six Israeli hostages, Hagari explained. The Israeli army is currently investigating if they were also involved in the murder of the hostages.
On September 1, the bodies of the six hostages were found in a tunnel in Rafah by Israeli forces, who stated they had been shot at close range shortly before. Goldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, Danino, Lobanov, Gat, and Sarusi were kidnapped in a terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year.
The family of Carmel Gat thanked the Israeli soldiers for their efforts under “impossible conditions for 11 months” but also criticized Israel’s government, stating that true victory is bringing hostages home alive.
“For Carmel, it wouldn’t have made a difference whether the murderers who killed her or her mother were alive or dead. She would have wanted the hostages to come home alive,” the family added. “Revenge brings no comfort.”