Hersh Goldberg-Polin: Hamas releases video of hostage in proof he survived Oct. 7 injuries

Editor’s Word: Warning: This story comprises a graphic picture.



CNN
 — 

Hamas launched a video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Wednesday, the primary proof that he survived being badly wounded throughout his seize on October 7.

Goldberg-Polin, then 23, was kidnapped from the Nova music pageant throughout Hamas’ assaults on Israel when greater than 1,200 individuals died and greater than 200 individuals had been taken hostage.

He’s proven within the undated video with a part of his left arm lacking a number of inches above the hand.

Video filmed on October 7 confirmed Goldberg-Polin being taken hostage along with his arm severely injured. A firsthand account from a younger girl, who was in a bunker with him when Hamas attacked, mentioned he had helped to throw grenades out, earlier than his arm was blown off from the elbow down.

The most recent video reveals Goldberg-Polin sitting in a chair, addressing the digicam. Gesturing sometimes along with his injured arm, he identifies himself and offers his date of beginning and oldsters’ names.

He says he has been “right here for nearly 200 days,” suggesting the video was filmed shortly earlier than Tuesday, the two hundredth day of the battle.

Goldberg-Polin’s hair is cropped brief within the video, which is edited with plenty of cuts from huge shot to shut up.

He criticizes the Israeli authorities of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as different Israeli hostages in Hamas propaganda movies have executed. Held captive in Gaza for six months, he’s virtually definitely talking beneath duress.

He mentions Israeli authorities ministers sitting all the way down to vacation dinners with their households, an obvious reference to the Jewish vacation of Passover, which started Monday evening and is historically celebrated with a household dinner.

He urges his circle of relatives to remain sturdy for him and finishes by saying he hopes he was in a position to give them some consolation on the vacation.

The Biden administration obtained the video Monday – two days earlier than Hamas made it public – and officers have since been in touch with Goldberg-Polin’s household, in accordance with a US official. The FBI’s Hostage Restoration Fusion Cell is operating level on inspecting the video for any potential proof and knowledge that may be gleaned about Goldberg-Polin and his captivity, the official mentioned.

Goldberg-Polin is among the many most recognizable of the 129 hostages who stay in Gaza. Banners and murals are displayed in Jerusalem, saying: “Convey Hersh House,” and his dad and mom Rachel and Jonathan repeatedly meet high US officers in Washington to press the case of the hostages.

Of the 129 October 7 hostages nonetheless being held in Gaza, the Israeli authorities believes 33 are useless.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, pictured here on January 12, 2024, wears a piece of tape with a number marking the days passed since her son was taken hostage.

Following the discharge of the video, the Goldberg-Polin household demanded rapid motion to launch their son and the opposite hostages nonetheless held in Gaza.

“Seeing the video of Hersh as we speak is overwhelming. We’re relieved to see him alive, however we’re additionally involved about his well being and wellbeing in addition to that of all the opposite hostages and all of these struggling on this area,” his dad and mom Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin mentioned in a video assertion.

The Goldberg-Polin household has referred to as on the negotiating events, together with Qatar, Egypt, the USA, Hamas, and Israel, to accentuate efforts and strike a deal that will reunite households and finish their struggling.

Additionally they despatched a private message to their son, “Hersh, we heard your voice as we speak for the primary time in 201 days. For those who can hear us, know that we love you. Keep sturdy, survive.”

The hostage video launched Wednesday of Goldberg-Polin was the primary proof he had survived his accidents sustained on October 7. Earlier footage, taken on the day of that assault, reveals Hamas fighters main him away from the bomb shelter with a part of his arm lacking.

The primary time Goldberg-Polin’s dad and mom noticed that video was following an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in October. The pair had been recalling eyewitness accounts of how their son was taken into captivity throughout a dwell TV interview, when Cooper realized he had heard particulars of the story earlier than.

Days earlier, an Israeli soldier on the website of the Nova music pageant had proven Cooper a video of Hamas fighters lobbing grenades right into a bomb shelter. The video additionally confirmed a younger Israeli man – along with his hand blown off and bone protruding from his wrist – being marched out of the shelter and thrown together with 4 others into the again of a truck. Cooper realized this was Rachel and John’s son.

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Hersh Goldberg Polin portrait

Anderson Cooper had a realization a few hostage throughout a dwell interview along with his dad and mom

Not eager to spring the information on them on dwell TV, Cooper contacted them after the interview and requested in the event that they wished to see the video. They later confirmed the person within the video was their son and requested that the video be shared extra extensively.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin was instructed by eyewitnesses that as many as 29 individuals had huddled collectively within the shelter earlier than Hamas started to throw grenades inside. Eight individuals survived by hiding beneath the our bodies of the useless, whereas her son was one among a number of hostages taken.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin has campaigned for her son’s launch for the previous six months. She instructed CNN in January that she wears a bit of tape marking every day that has handed since Hersh was snatched by Hamas fighters.

Hersh, who’s left-handed, was set to go on a round-the-world journey he had deliberate. On December 27, when he had been scheduled to depart, his mom went to the airport with buddies and handed stickers of Hersh to passengers on his flight, asking them to ship images from locations they go to.