Vice President Kamala Harris played a key role in the pressure campaign to keep Israel out of the Gazan city of Rafah months before an American hostage was found dead on Sunday.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops found the body of 23-year-old American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin along with the bodies of five other deceased hostages in a tunnel underneath Rafah on Sunday. The hostages were killed not long before their bodies were discovered, according to the Israeli military.
Harris and the Biden administration leaned on Israel to stay out of Rafah for months despite significant numbers of Hamas militants and dozens of hostages, including some Americans, believed to be located in the city. Israel moved tanks into place around the city in March, preparing for extensive military operations.
The IDF has found and rescued at least nine hostages from Rafah so far, including one last week: Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi, an Israeli. Hamas continues to hold 101 hostages in Gaza, according to the IDF.
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