‘It was a horrifying scene’: Goldberg-Polins reveal conditions in tunnel where 6 slain hostages were found

Rachel Goldberg details the conditions under which Hersh and the other five hostages were held — an “airless, completely pitch-black tunnel with no plumbing.”

Throughout the tunnel were bottles filled with very dark urine, indicating how dehydrated they were. A plastic bucket was placed at the end of the tunnel so the hostages could have a degree of privacy when they used the bathroom.

Hersh, 23, was nearly six feet tall but only weighed 117 pounds when he was buried. He had a bullet go through his remaining, right hand, which apparently was trying to shield the rest of his body during the execution. He had bullet wounds in his shoulder and neck and back of the head. He was found collapsed on his knees with 24-year-old hostage Eden Yerushalmi leaning on his lap.

“It was a horrifying scene. All of them were so thin, all of them were shot multiple times at close range,” says Rachel.