The families of a group of young hostages who became known as the “Beautiful Six” have marked the first yahrzeit of their loved ones’ deaths at the hands of Hamas in a tunnel under Gaza.
The bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lubanov, Almog Seroussi, Ori Danino and Eden Alexander were recovered by Israeli forces from a Rafah tunnel in southern Gaza at the end of August 2024.
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.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin – the mother of Israeli-American Hersh, who was killed aged 23 – quickly became a well-known figurehead among the hostage families after giving a series of powerful speeches calling for the release of those snatched by Hamas.
Marking the yahrzeit on Monday night, the Goldberg-Polin family appealed for people to “do something during these 24 hours to make our complicated world a bit better.”
Posting on their Bring Hersch Home Instagram page, they wrote: "Monday evening, August 18th at sundown, will be the first yahrzeit (Hebrew date of death) for the Beautiful Six - Hersh, Ori, Almog, Alex, Carmel and Eden (zichronam l’vracha, may their memories be a blessing). It will last until sundown on August 19th.
"Please do something during those 24 hours to make our complicated world a bit better. It can be something 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.”
The six hostages were murdered 48 to 72 hours before the post mortems on them were carried out, according to examinations conducted by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv.
The discovery of their bodies shocked Israelis, diaspora Jews and much of the wider public.
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