The six hostages, whose bodies were found Saturday in a tunnel underneath Gaza discovered in Rafah, were in the same exact location Vice President Kamala Harris warned Israel of grave consequences if it entered.
In March, Harris warned Israel of possible U.S. consequences, hinting that it would withhold weapons if it ignored the Biden Administration’s “red line” and invaded Rafah. In this crucial town, Hamas terrorists were believed to be hiding Israeli hostages.
“We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris said during an interview on ABC. “I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go.”
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Rafah was one of the last bastions of Hamas in the Palestinian strip. He suggested he would send troops into the region with or without the Biden Administration’s blessing.
That same month, President Joe Biden also said he was against further escalation in Rafah, demanding that an invasion led by Israel of the area be a “red line” for his administration. However, he returned his comment, saying, “There’s no red line; I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
On Saturday, the bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were found in Rafah, killed by Hamas terrorists. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the hostages had been held for nearly 11 months.
“According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Biden demanded for Hamas leaders to suffer consequences and vowed they would “pay for their crimes.”
“It is as tragic as it is reprehensible," Biden said. “We will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages."