Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 331?

The bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino were found in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said on Sunday morning.

The IDF retrieved the bodies of the hostages from a tunnel under the city of Rafah in Gaza.

They were likely slaughtered by Hamas shortly before the IDF got to them in Rafah.

The bodies were found only one kilometer from where Kaid Farhan al-Alkadi, age 52, from Rahat, was found last week.

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq on Sunday blamed Israel and the Biden administration for the recent deaths of six hostages, claiming Israel was unwilling to reach a deal and the United States had continued to support "the war of genocide" due to the country's "bias" for Israel. 

The bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino were found in the Gaza Strip. The IDF retrieved the bodies of the hostages from a tunnel under the city of Rafah in Gaza.

They were likely murdered by Hamas shortly before the IDF got to them in Rafah, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Sunday. Despite this, al-Rishq claimed that it had been an Israeli airstrike, utilizing American weaponry, which killed the six hostages.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Sunday on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bear responsibility in front of the nation after the IDF's recovery of the six bodies of the hostages. 

"The recovery of the bodies of Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lobanov, and Eden Yerushalmi is a direct result of failing to sign a deal. They were all murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture, and starvation in Hamas captivity. The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages."

"We call to Netanyahu: Stop hiding. Provide the public with a justification for this ongoing abandonment," the forum further added. 

The IDF discovered the body of hostage Almog Sarusi in the Gaza Strip, the military announced in a Sunday morning update to its Saturday announcement. 

Sarusi’s body was discovered alongside the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Ori Danino.

IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the hostages were killed by Hamas shortly before the IDF’s arrival. 

The Hostage Family Forum described 27-year-old Sarusi from Ra'anana as "a vibrant, positive person who loved exploring Israel in his white jeep with his guitar."

Israeli leaders and politicians reacted on Sunday morning to the IDF's recovery of the bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino from Rafah in the Gaza Strip. 

President Isaac Herzog said following the IDF confirmation of the identities early Sunday morning, "The heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces."

He apologized "for failing to bring them home safely."

The IDF discovered the body of hostage Alexander Lobanov in the Gaza Strip, the military announced in a Sunday morning update to its Saturday announcement. 

Lobanov’s body was discovered alongside the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Ori Danino.

IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the hostages were killed by Hamas shortly before the IDF’s arrival. 

Lobanov was from Ashkelon, where he lived with his pregnant wife and two-year-old child. His wife gave birth to their second child while he was in captivity. 

The bodies of six hostages were discovered by IDF soldiers in Gaza, including the body of 24-year-old Eden Yerushalmi, the family of Yerushalmi announced in an update to the IDF’s Saturday night statement.

Yerushalmi was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on October 7 by Hamas terrorists.

Yerushalmi had been working as a bartender at the festival, while her day job was teaching pilates.

Originally from Tel Aviv, the Hostage Family Forum described her as a "vibrant young woman with many friends and hobbies" adding that "Eden loved spending summer days at the beach playing paddleball, attending parties, and was studying to become a Pilates instructor."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the absence of a Gaza and hostage deal.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, and Carmel Gat were listed as abductees to be released as part of a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, an anonymous Israeli official told Ynet on Sunday.

Two men in their 30s and 50s and a woman in her 30s were killed in a terror attack on Route 35 near Tarqumiyah in the West Bank, Magen David Adom said on Sunday morning.