Pentagon Chief Says Hamas Must Be Held Accountable for Hostage Deaths

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin takes questions during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington on Feb. 1, 2024 ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Sept. 1 that Hamas leaders must be held accountable for the killing of six hostages in Gaza, who 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 the 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.

The Pentagon chief extended his deepest condolences to the families of the slain hostages and also to the families of three Israeli police officers who were killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank also on Sept. 1, according to a Defense Department readout.

During their talk, Austin told Gallant that he was outraged by what the official call summary described as the “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 the 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 noted that Israel remains “determined to eliminate Hamas leadership and assets” in the enclave, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the six hostages were “brutally murdered” by their captors shortly before their bodies were found in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip on Aug. 31.

The six hostages killed were 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 his administration will continue to work on a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Biden said 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.”

The Israeli military has stated that it believes there are still 101 hostages remaining in Gaza. The IDF has vowed that its military operation in the territory will “not stop until every hostage is brought home.”

Protests have erupted in the streets of Israel in the aftermath of the six hostages’ deaths. Demonstrators are blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for failing to secure a hostage deal.

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told Al Jazeera in a Sept. 2 interview that Hamas killed the hostages because Netanyahu would not agree to its demands to hand over control of the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors.

“Netanyahu’s response to our acceptance of the document presented by 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.”

Melanie Sun contributed to this report.