A poster depicting Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is displayed in Re’im, southern Israel, on the border with Gaza, in February 2024, at a memorial site for the Nova music festival, where he was kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas on October 1, 2024. 7, 2023.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
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Maya Alleruzzo/AP
A poster depicting Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is displayed in Re’im, southern Israel, on the border with Gaza, in February 2024, at a memorial site for the Nova music festival, where he was kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas on October 1, 2024. 7, 2023.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
A hostage video released Wednesday by Hamas’s military wing appears to show a statement from an American-Israeli man who was kidnapped on October 1. Jan. 7 marks the first time the militant group has released a video showing one of the five Americans it is holding captive.
The video is also the first time Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 24, has been seen alive since the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, during which some 1,200 people were killed.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin is seen sitting in a chair against a blank wall. He looks directly into the camera. Clearly visible is the healed stump of what was once his left forearm, amputated just below his elbow.
“I went out to hang out with my friends,” he says in the video, which has been edited. “Instead, I found myself fighting for my life with serious injuries all over my body after trying to protect myself and other scared citizens with my body, because there was no one to protect us that day.”
As with other hostage videos previously released by Hamas, Goldberg-Polin criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claims that Israeli airstrikes have killed other hostages. The video closes with a message for her family: “I love you very much and I think of you every day,” she says.
Hostage videos are recorded under duress. It is unclear when the video was filmed, although it refers to his 200 days in captivity and mentions “this holiday,” probably Passover. A senior Biden administration official said Thursday that the US government received the video on Monday, two days before it was released to the public.
The FBI is reviewing the video for clues about when it was created, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear why Hamas had decided to release it this week.
“I can’t speak to what made them decide to release the video at this time,” Sullivan said. “All I can say is that this is an innocent young man held hostage by a terrorist organization and he must be released immediately, unconditionally and without delay.”
Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jonathan Polin, have been leading voices in calling for the release of the remaining hostages; They have spoken with President Joe Biden, Netanyahu and other international officials. Goldberg spoke to NPR in October, shortly after the attack.
On Wednesday, Goldberg and Polin released a video statement in which they said it was overwhelming to see the images of their son and urged negotiators to reach a ceasefire agreement.
“Be brave, lean in, seize this moment and come to an agreement to reunite us all with our loved ones and end the suffering in this region,” Polin said. Goldberg, speaking directly to his son, said, “If you can hear us, I’m telling you, we’re telling you we love you.”
On the October morning. On September 7, Goldberg-Polin was among thousands of attendees at the Nova rave festival near the Gaza border. When militants attacked the party, he and others tried to hide in a bomb shelter, his mother told NPR. The attackers threw grenades into the shelter; one exploded, tearing off part of Goldberg-Polin’s left arm.
That morning he sent his family two WhatsApp messages and Goldberg said: “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”
Goldberg-Polin is believed to be one of five Americans held captive by Hamas. He was born in the United States before moving to Israel with his family as a child. He has American and Israeli citizenship. He was 23 years old when he was kidnapped and has since turned 24.
Militants kidnapped more than 240 people on October 1. 7. More than 100 people were freed during a seven-day ceasefire late last year. Of the 133 who remain in Gaza, dozens are believed dead, Israeli officials say. Israel says the release of the hostages is the main objective of its military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In an extraordinary joint statement Thursday morning, President Biden and the leaders of 17 other countries with citizens missing or held captive in Gaza together called on Hamas to agree to a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
“We emphasize that the agreement on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate an increase in the necessary additional humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza and lead to a credible end to hostilities,” he said. statement read.
The release of the video sparked protests in Israel on Wednesday night, including outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem.
On Thursday, in the square near the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where protesters have continually called for the release of the hostages since October, Israeli resident Iris Ganor said the video had lifted her spirits and renewed her energy to call for the release. liberation of the captives. return.
“Considering his injury, seeing him alive was really wonderful. I’m very happy. It gave me more hope than before,” said Ganor, who survived the Oct. 1 attack. 7 while he was visiting a family at Kibbutz Nahal Oz “Everyone should go back.”