Below is the statement issued today by Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union related to the announcement earlier today of the recovery of Israeli hostages from Gaza.

“Our hearts are shattered over Hamas’ cruel murders of the six hostages – Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi – whose bodies were recovered yesterday from Rafah. What they and their families have endured over the past eleven months of their captivity is unimaginable. In the wake of this crushing news, we pray that God grant strength to their loved ones.

Throughout this horrific ordeal, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of the murdered American-Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, have carried themselves with unimaginable dignity and grace and have relentlessly stirred our hearts and stoked our conscience. In the presence of monstrous actions and inexcusable silence, theirs was a calm, firm, and consistent voice of humanity, of loving parents who would do anything for their son – or for ours. Since October 7, they brought us together and have called upon all of us, Jews and non-Jews, world leaders and regular citizens, to see the horror being inflicted upon the hostages and to address it unambiguously and effectively. We did not live up to their example. We join in their profound grief over Hersh’s death.

This news comes together with escalating attacks and threats on Israel from the West Bank, including today’s killing of three police officers, one of whom was a bereaved father whose daughter was killed on October 7. At this difficult and dangerous time, we stand together as one with the hostages and their families, with those killed and wounded on and since October 7 and their families, with the heroic men and women of the Israel Defense Forces and their families, with the citizens of Israel, and with the Government of Israel.

Hashem oz l’amo yitein, Hashem y’varech et amo va’shalom. May G-d grant strength to His people; may He bless His people with peace.”