The autopsies of the bodies of the six hostages rescued from Gaza on Shabbos revealed that all six had signs of gunshot wounds in their heads and other parts of their bodies, Ynet reported on Sunday. IDF officials estimate that they were murdered in the previous 48 hours. One of the hostages’ bodies bore signs of being tied up. The conditions of the bodies also showed that the hostages had been systematically neglected, and among other things, they had not showered for an extended period of time. IDF forces found the bodies in a tunnel about 20 meters deep in Rafah, about one kilometer away from the tunnel where Bedouin-Israeli hostage Farhan Al-Qadi was found.

The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin says he has been killed in the Gaza Strip. The family issued a statement early Sunday, hours after the Israeli army said it had located bodies in Gaza. “With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” it said. “The family thanks you all for your love and support and asks for privacy at this time.” There was no immediate comment from the army, or details about the other bodies found. The 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin was among the hostages seized by terrorists at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7. He lost part of an arm in the attack.

Late Motzei Shabbos, the IDF announced the discovery of more bodies underground in Gaza, which are likely those of Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas. Amid social media speculation regarding the identities of the potential hostages, the IDF stated that confirmation would only be possible once the bodies have been returned to Israel and examined by professional experts, likely on Sunday. IDF sources clarified that if the bodies are indeed those of hostages, they were not killed in any recent skirmish with Hamas in the area, as no military force was used nearby. In Rehoboth, Delaware, US President Joe Biden, after leaving a church service, commented on the IDF’s statement about finding bodies in Gaza that could be hostages.

A potentially deadly coordinated double terror attack in two areas of Gush Etzion on Friday night miraculously ended with only three people injured. The first incident occurred close to midnight when a car exploded at a gas station at the Gush Etzion Junction. A car had pulled up to the station against the flow of traffic and as it pulled up, the hood caught on fire. The terrorist then emerged from the car, completely burned. A gas station employee told Ynet that at first, an employee tried to douse the terrorist with a water hose, thinking it was an accidental car fire. But then the terrorist began running and trying to attack the security forces who had arrived at the scene. IDF soldiers opened fire, killing him.

In a statement released on Friday, the IDF announced the completion of a three-week operation in the southern Gaza Strip. The operation, which began in early August, focused on demolishing tunnels, targeting Hamas infrastructure, and recovering the bodies of hostages. According to the IDF, the operation resulted in the demolition of six tunnels belonging to terror groups, totaling approximately six kilometers of underground passages. Additionally, troops killed over 250 gunmen, recovered the bodies of six hostages, and demolished Hamas infrastructure above ground. The operation was carried out by the 98th Division, which was withdrawn from Gaza on Friday to prepare for future operations.

The Operation Summer Camps counterterrorism operation was launched in northern Shomron due to serious intelligence warning of an October 7 infiltration attack or raid on an Israeli yishuv from Tulkarm, Kan News reported on Thursday evening. According to the report, a terrorist squad planned to infiltrate an Israeli yishuv in the Shomron and carry out a large-scale attack. Security officials said that some of the terrorists planning the attack were eliminated in the operation but the ongoing terror threat from the area remains and is rapidly increasing.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday defended shifting away from her some of her more liberal positions in her first major television interview of her presidential campaign, but insisted her “values have not changed” even as she is “seeking consensus.” Sitting with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris was asked about changes in her policies over the years, specifically her reversals on fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings. “I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris replied.

In her first sit-down interview since taking over as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris faced at least one pointed questions from CNN anchor Dana Bash about her flip-flopping policies throughout her political career. The interview marks Harris’s first major media appearance since becoming the top candidate on the Democratic ticket, after having drawn widespread criticism for her relative media silence. During the conversation, Bash pressed Harris on her apparent policy reversals, particularly concerning fracking and the decriminalization of illegal border crossings. When asked how voters should interpret these changes, Harris insisted that while specific policies may have evolved, her core values have remained steadfast.

Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan, two of the hostages rescued from Gaza in Operation Arnon, have opened up for the first time about their harrowing ordeal in captivity. They were interviewed as part of the Government Press Office’s national documentation project. Andrey Kozlov, who was held together with Ziv and Jan, has spoken to numerous media outlets, (including the GPO’s project earlier this month) about the physical and emotional abuse he and his fellow captives endured. Their hands and feet were bound for the first two months, they were locked in the bathroom buried under blankets in the summer heat, and were told time and time again that Israel and their loved ones had abandoned them.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York has blasted three major U.S. airlines—American, Delta, and United—for their continued suspension of flights to Israel, arguing that the decision is tantamount to an “effective boycott” of the country. In a letter addressed to the CEOs of the airlines and obtained by YWN, Torres expressed concern that the ongoing suspension has made air travel to Israel increasingly difficult and expensive. “The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, putting customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can easily gouge prices with impunity,” Torres wrote to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, and United CEO Scott Kirby.