U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday said that Hamas leaders be held accountable for the killing of six hostages in Gaza, whom he said had been murdered in a vicious manner by the terrorist group.
Austin held a phone discussion with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sept. 1 following the recovery of six hostages’ bodies in an underground tunnel in Gaza’s Rafah. One of the hostages was 23-year-old U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
During their talk, Austin told Gallant that he was outraged by what the official call summary described as “vicious, illegal, and immoral execution” of the hostages by the Hamas terrorist group amid ongoing cease-fire negotiations.
He expressed concerns over the rising tensions in Gaza and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to reaching a deal that will result in the release of the remaining hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Gallant also reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to reaching such an agreement, while emphasizing the “important role” of the United States in the negotiations. He added that Israel remains “determined to eliminate Hamas leadership and assets” in the enclave, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The six hostages killed were named as Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, and Goldberg-Polin. Their bodies have since been sent back to Israel for burial, according to the IDF.
President Joe Biden called their deaths “tragic” and “reprehensible,” saying that his administration will continue to work on a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Biden said that Goldberg-Polin had lost his arm while helping others during a Hamas attack at an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, before being kidnapped by the terrorist group.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said in a statement on Aug. 31. “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes.”
“Netanyahu’s response to our acceptance of the document presented by [U.S. President Joe] Biden was evasive, followed by the imposition of several new conditions. Netanyahu insisted on staying in Philadelphi and Netzarim [corridors] and refused to release our elderly prisoners serving life sentences,” al-Hayya said.
“We are not interested in negotiating Netanyahu’s new conditions. The movement decides not to compromise on the July 2 proposal.”