Hamas released a video on Wednesday apparently showing Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American dual national who has been held hostage since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. It appeared to be the first time that Mr. Goldberg-Polin, who was seriously injured in the attack, has been found alive since his captivity began.
It is not clear when the video was shot, but in it Mr. Goldberg-Polin, who was 23 when he was kidnapped, says he had been held hostage for almost 200 days, suggesting the video was taken recently. He also wishes his parents a happy holiday, which could be a reference to the week-long Passover holiday that is currently being celebrated.
Mr. Goldberg-Polin’s parents later released a videotaped statement saying they were relieved to see their son alive but worried about his health, along with the health of the dozens of other hostages believed to be still alive. are being held in Gaza.
“We are here today with a plea to all leaders of the parties that have negotiated so far – including Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas and Israel – be brave, lean forward, seize this moment and get a deal done . done to reunite us all with our loved ones and end the suffering in this region,” said his father, Jonathan Polin. His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, urged her son to “stay strong and survive.”
Mr. Goldberg-Polin was attending the Tribe of Nova music festival in Re’im, Israel, when Hamas gunmen attacked and killed hundreds. He lost part of his arm while defending an emergency shelter with his friend Aner Shapira, who survivors of the attack say died.
Rights groups and international law experts say that a hostage video is by definition made under duress and that the statements in it are usually coerced. Israeli officials call the videos a form of “psychological warfare,” and experts say their production could constitute a war crime.
The circumstances under which the video was shot were unclear and the footage appears to have been edited. It was released in Israel on Hamas’ social media channels around 5 p.m.
Mr. Goldberg-Polin refers several times to his need for medical attention and shows his injured arm to the camera. The October attack left him “struggling to survive with serious injuries all over my body,” he says in the video, adding that during his captivity he has been “without water, food or sun and without the treatment I have been receiving for so long.” need’.
He also criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and members of his government. “Think of us, the hostages who are still here in hell, underground, at a time when you are celebrating the holidays with your family,” he says.
The Hostages Families Forum said in a statement that “the hostages must be the top priority.”
“This disturbing video serves as an urgent call to take swift and decisive action to resolve this horrific humanitarian crisis and ensure the safe return of our loved ones,” the group said.
Mr. Goldberg-Polin, a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, was born in Berkeley, California, and was in elementary school when the family moved to Israel from Richmond, Virginia. He was taken prisoner to Gaza after part of his life. arm was blown off during an attack on a roadside shelter.
Members of his family have pieced together at least some of what happened to him through other families and survivors of the attack, and by reviewing text messages and phone conversations. They said they believed he needed urgent medical attention because of injuries to his arm, believed to have been caused by a grenade.
In a guest essay written for the New York Times Opinion section shortly after his kidnapping, his mother, Rachel Goldberg, described her son as a gentle and kind person who swam laps to raise money for charity in Africa.
“I don’t know if he’s dead or alive or if I’ll ever see him again,” she wrote.
His mother told reporters that her family would celebrate Passover this week with a Seder and “they were very clear that if after fifteen minutes we just can’t do it and we have to cry, we will cry.”
Mr. Goldberg-Polin ends the video by addressing his parents directly.
“I love and miss you so much,” he told them. “It won’t be a nice holiday for me, but I wish you one.”
Malachy Browne And Isabel Kershner reporting contributed.