One of the most traumatic events of the war occurred in the summer of 2024 inside a Hamas tunnel in Rafah, where Hamas terrorists, after detecting nearby IDF forces, killed six Israeli hostages: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Carmel Gat.
The newly released footage shows the hostages months earlier, lighting Hanukkah candles in captivity in Gaza. The recording captures them reciting blessings, singing traditional songs and comforting one another. Several appear emotional. At one moment, one of them says softly, “Hanukkah is emotional, isn’t it?”
New footage shows six slain hostages marking Hanukkah in Gaza tunnel, singing through tears | Watch
The IDF said the video was recovered about three months ago during a raid on the European Hospital in Khan Younis, where senior Hamas figure Mohammad Sinwar was also found and killed. Military Intelligence processed the material and delivered it to the families about six weeks ago.
According to intelligence assessments, the six hostages were held for most of their captivity in the same Rafah tunnel complex where they were murdered at the end of August, as Hamas terrorists guarding them realized that IDF forces were nearing the site. The army believes the footage is from the hostages’ first and only Hanukkah in captivity, recorded in December two years earlier.
The IDF says it has additional recordings of other hostages collected during ground operations in Gaza. These are being shared with families gradually, after earlier concerns that releasing them could endanger hostages who were still alive or reveal operational knowledge to Hamas.
IDF: hostages killed shortly before troops arrived
All six were murdered in late August. Then-IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said they were “killed brutally shortly before our forces reached them.” He said they were located in an underground tunnel about one kilometer from where survivor Farhan Qadi was found.
“We did not know their exact location and operated with extreme caution after finding Farhan nearby,” Hagari said. “There are no words to describe what they endured since October 7. This news shakes all of us.”
Who they were
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, born in the United States and raised in Israel since 2008, was abducted from the Re’im music festival after being severely wounded by a grenade thrown by Hamas terrorists at the shelter where he and others hid.
Ori Danino, 25, from Jerusalem, fled the Nova festival with a friend but turned back to try to save others. He was captured by Hamas terrorists.
Eden Yerushalmi, 24, from Tel Aviv, worked as a bartender at the Re’im festival. She hid among the bodies of her friends and later in nearby brush before being taken captive. Her sisters said her final words on the phone were, “They caught me,” followed by voices speaking Arabic.
Alex Lobanov, 32, from Ashkelon, managed the bar at the Re’im festival. For 18 days his whereabouts were unknown. His wife, pregnant at the time, gave birth to their second son while he was in captivity.
Carmel Gat, 40, a graduate student in occupational therapy, was abducted from her parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Her mother, Kinneret, was murdered. Her sister-in-law, Jordan Roman-Gat, who was captured with her, was released after 54 days.
Almog Sarusi, 27, from Ra’anana, attended the Re’im festival with his partner Shahar Gindi, who was murdered. Sarusi, a lighting technician, became a symbol for performers who dedicated songs and gestures on stage in his honor during the months he remained in captivity.