Tel Aviv/Gaza, 1 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The bodies of six hostages were recovered from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said early on Sunday.

The six bodies were recovered in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the south of the Gaza Strip and transferred to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Telegram.

All six individuals were kidnapped during the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7, the army said.

According to an army spokesman, they were killed by their captors shortly before their bodies were found.

Among the victims is the US-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry published a statement from the relatives of Goldberg-Polin, in which they announced the death of their "beloved son and brother."

Photo: IDF