Hamas leader Sinwar likely used 6 Israeli hostages as human shields before their execution

Six Israeli hostages, who were murdered in a tunnel by Hamas terrorists in August, were likely used as human shields to protect the recently killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to a Channel 12 report on Sunday.

The hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Carmel Gat reportedly lived on energy bars for months before eventually being executed by terrorists in Gaza. On Sept. 1, Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of the murdered hostages in a Rafah tunnel.

Sinwar likely chose these six Israelis as human shields because they were considered particularly valuable assets. For instance, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin had launched an intense global campaign for their son’s release, meeting with influential world leaders including, U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Channel 12 report indicated that the hostages may have been executed because they became too weak to stay on the move with Sinwar as he fled Israeli forces.

A security source told Channel 12 that Sinwar “didn’t escape with them, because it’s impossible to escape with hostages like them; they have trouble walking, trouble moving.” In addition, the unnamed security source assessed that two of the hostages were women, raising unwanted attention in Rafah, which is reportedly overwhelmingly dominated by men.

The elusive Hamas leader was reportedly killed while hiding alone on the second floor of a building. His bodyguards were eliminated in an adjacent building.

In late November 2023, 105 of the 251 hostages were released as part of an internationally brokered agreement, in which Israel freed convicted terrorists from its prisons.

As Israeli operations progressed across the Gaza Strip, Sinwar and the majority of the remaining Hamas operatives fled further south to Khan Younis and eventually to Rafah, situated on the border between Egypt and Gaza. Hamas also transported many of the remaining hostages to the Rafah area.

An Israeli military offensive against Hamas forces in Rafah was postponed for several months due to strong opposition from the Biden administration and much of the international community, concerned for the welfare of the hostages.

Hamas terrorists allegedly held the six Israeli hostages in a tunnel 20 meters (65 feet) underground in Rafah, while living in a building above with a shaft leading to the captives. The hostages may have become too weak to move, and one female hostage, Eden Yerushalmi, suffered severe starvation, weighing just 36 kilograms (79 lbs) when her body was recovered.

In late August, Israeli forces later rescued another hostage, Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, from a nearby tunnel, but the captors reportedly killed the six hostages, fearing the Israeli forces were closing in on them.

Sinwar was eventually eliminated in a building not far from the tunnel where the six Israeli hostages were murdered.