Tuesday marked the first yahrzeit of the “Beautiful Six” hostages — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lubanov, Almog Seroussi, Ori Danino and Eden Yerushalmi — whose bodies were recovered by Israeli forces from a Rafah tunnel in southern Gaza at the end of August, 2024.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists killed 364 people and abducted 44 more from the festival. On Aug. 29, 2024, Hamas terrorists murdered Yerushalmi, Danino, Gat, Goldberg-Polin, Lubanov and Seroussi, all of whom were kidnapped from the music festival.
All six had been shot multiple times by their Hamas captors at close range just days before their discovery, Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed, following autopsies on their remains. The first anniversary of their deaths — their yahrzeit — was Av 25 (this year, Aug. 19)
Posting on the “Bring Hersh Home” page on Instagram, the Goldberg-Polin family appealed for people to “do something during these 24 hours to make our complicated world a bit better. It can be big or small, quiet or loud, private or public. Do it in memory of the Beautiful Six, including our Hersh. May his memory be a revolution . . . for goodness.”
Earlier in August, 2024, the remains of six other hostages were recovered in an operation involving the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). The bodies of Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri and Alex Dancyg were located more than 10 months after the Hamas massacre.
Fifty hostages remain captive in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
