The Palestinian movement Hamas broadcast this Wednesday April 24 on its Telegram channel a video of one of the Israeli hostages it kidnapped during its attack on October 7 and taken to Gaza. We see a young Israeli-American of 23 years old presented as Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
In this 2.5 minute video, the hostage appears injured in the hand, an injury which dates back to October 7 when the young man was throwing grenades sent by Hamas men. He castigates the Netanyahu government for doing nothing to free him. “Shame on you. You leave me without food and without the medical treatment I need,” he said, introducing himself as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, son of Jonathan and Rachel. A stump at the end of his left arm is visible and the hostage dressed in a burgundy polo shirt appeals to the government and the war cabinet. “Do what is expected of you and free us” he apostrophes. “70 hostages were killed by your aircraft,” he says in Hebrew in the video subtitled in Arabic and English.
According to the collective of October 7, working to free the hostages, Hersh Goldeberg-Colin was born in Berkeley, California and raised in Richmond, Virginia before immigrating to Israel at the age of seven with his family. During 2023, he worked for school groups and in particular for an organization wishing to bring Israeli and Palestinian children together through football. When leaving his family on the evening of October 6 in Jerusalem, he explained to his parents that he was going camping with a friend. “In reality, they surrender at the Nova music festival next to Kibbutz Reim»writes the collective.
“I love you” and “I’m sorry”
On the day of the surprise attack, the association says that the twenty-year-old took refuge with his friend Aner Shapira in an air raid shelter while Hamas men shot and threw grenades. The two friends allegedly threw some of the grenades again. “One of them explodes and tears off part of his arm. The survivors present testify that he made a makeshift tourniquet himself in order to stop the bleeding., continues the collective on its site. In a Hamas video, he is seen being pushed into the back of a truck, heading towards Gaza.
“I love you” And “I’m sorry” would be the last messages received by Rachel Goldberg, his mother. On November 14 in Washington, during the March for Israel, she announced to more than 200,000 participants: “Why does the world accept that 240 human beings from over 30 different countries were kidnapped on October 7 and buried alive?”. Figure in the movement for the release of hostages, very active on social networks with the Instagram account “bring.hersh.home” followed by more than 100,000 people, she is part of the top 100 most influential personalities by the Time. She met with dozens of world leaders, including the Pope and Joe Biden, to find her son.
The family authorized the media to publish “from their son’s video”according to a press release from the Hostage Families Forum, an association representing some of the hostage families, consulted by AFP. “This heartbreaking video is an urgent call to take rapid and meaningful action to resolve this terrible humanitarian crisis and ensure the safe return of our loved ones”adds the Forum in its press release. “Hersh’s cry is the collective cry of all the hostages (…) With each day that passes, the fear of losing more innocent lives increases”. AFP was unable to establish the date on which the video was filmed but the hostage indicates that he has been a prisoner since “nearly 200 days”. Wednesday marks the 201st day the hostages have been held.
The unprecedented October 7 attack on Israeli territory resulted in the death of 1,170 people, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data. And 250 others had been kidnapped. According to the AFP count, 129 are still hostages, 34 of whom are considered dead according to Israeli officials.
Updated at 7:40 p.m.: family uses video permission.