Hundreds Attend Funeral for Slain Hostage Eden Yerushalmi in Petah Tikva

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Hundreds of mourners gathered in Israel's Petah Tikva on Sunday for the funeral of Eden Yerushalmi, one of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. Footage shows relatives crying over Yerushalmi's body while her father is seen reading prayers. Later, a procession is shown carrying the body wrapped in an Israeli flag for burial. On Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that it had discovered the bodies of six hostages held captive by Hamas since October 7 in Rafah. The bodies were later identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Carmel Gat. "A few hours ago, we informed the families that the bodies of their loved ones had been located by IDF troops in an underground tunnel in Rafah. According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement. According to local reports, five of the hostages were taken by Hamas from a music festival in southern Israel's Re'im, while Carmel Gat was abducted from a nearby farming community in Kibbutz Be'eri. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was conducting 'intensive negotiations' to reach a ceasefire and hostage-release deal but questioned the motives of Hamas. "Hamas continues to firmly refuse any proposal. Even worse, at that very moment, they murdered six of our abductees. Whoever murders abductees does not want a deal," he said. On the same day, US President Joe Biden said he was 'devastated and outraged' by the news, vowing that Hamas would 'pay for these crimes'. He also said Washington would be working 'around the clock' to secure a new deal. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the 'brutality' of Hamas, adding that the US would 'never waver' in its commitment to 'free all those held hostage in Gaza.' Fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian terrorist launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials. Israel launched a large-scale response of airstrikes and a ground incursion in the enclave. Hamas officials reported that 40,691 people had been killed and more than 94,060 injured at the time of publication.