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.
The IDF retrieved the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel under the city of Rafah in Gaza on Saturday. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari added on Sunday they were likely murdered by Hamas shortly before the IDF got to them.
“Three of them were on the list that Hamas agreed to return” in the July 2 deal, the official said. “There was agreement on Hersh because he was wounded, also on Carmel and Eden."
Goldberg-Polin’s hand was wounded by a Hamas grenade on October 7, and a hostage video revealed that his hand had been completely destroyed.
Accusations Netanyahu is preventing a deal
The official further charged, "It is clear as day that Netanyahu is preventing a deal so that the government does not fall apart. Within a month, there will be no hostages left alive."
Defense officials described the July 2 deal, announced by Biden as an Israeli proposal, as the “best so far.” However, the Philadelphi Corridor issue remained.