Slain Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and several other hostages who were executed by Hamas terrorists had reportedly tried to fight off their killers in the final moments before they were shot dead in a Gaza tunnel.
The grief-stricken relatives of the six hostages were informed of the harrowing detail during a briefing over the weekend on the Israel Defense Forces’ investigation into their murders, Channel 12 News reported.
“Several of the six are assessed to have defended themselves and struggled with those who shot them,” the outlet reported, citing details of the probe’s initial findings.
The bodies of Goldberg-Polin, 23, and the other five hostages — Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27 — were discovered in the tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah back on Aug. 31.
There was “forensic” evidence that showed “Hersh, Ori, Alex and Almog defended Eden and Carmel” before they were killed, according to the report.
The families, who were briefed by IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, were also apparently shown evidence from inside the tunnel and were told of the harsh conditions the six were held in after being kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terror attack.
The tunnel where they were being held was too low for them to stand and was just two people wide.
There were also no air vents, toilets or showers.
Proteins bars, a generator, a small flashlight and a chess set were among the items found discarded in the tunnel when it was raided by the IDF, the report said.
Several notepads were also found, which have since been turned over to the hostages’ relatives.
The IDF believes the six hostages were killed the day before their bodies were discovered when Israeli forces raided the tunnel.
Autopsies had determined they were all killed by short-range shots, according to Israel’s health ministry.
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Since the bodies were found, Hamas has taunted the families by releasing a slew of pre-recorded videos of the victims’ “last messages” before they were murdered.
“Mama, Dada, Leebi and Orly, I love you, I miss you,” a disheveled Goldberg-Polin said in his video released last Thursday.
“I’m thinking about you every single day. I know you’re doing everything you can and that you’re out in the streets trying to bring me home. Now I need you to stay strong for me. Keep on fighting, and hopefully, I believe I’ll be home soon. Don’t stop. I love you.”
The terrorist group had previously published similar gut-wrenching clips on Telegram of three of the other slain hostages — Yerushalmi, Lobanov and Gat — also giving their emotional final words before their death.
“Bombing here never stops, and we are afraid for our lives. We are scared of dying here,’’ an exhausted-looking Yerushalmi said in her video.
