NEW YORK POST
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents say Hamas hostage video was ‘amazing’ proof he’s alive: ‘We were just crying’
Olivia Land
April 25, 2024

The parents of the American-Israeli hostage featured in Hamas’ latest propaganda video said it was “amazing” to see their son alive, but “very painful” knowing he’s still being held after more than six months. <strong>Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, looked gaunt and with his arm blown off in the video released Wednesday, the first sighting since he was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival on Oct. 7</strong>. “Initially, we were just crying,” Hersh’s mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, told NBC News of the family’s initial reaction to the footage. “This was a tremendous validation,” the 54-year-old mom said. “On the other hand, we see him — he is in captivity, he’s obviously suffering with this missing dominant arm,” she said of the left limb blown off below the elbow by a grenade. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL ‘Stay strong,’ parents urge Hersh Goldberg-Polin after Hamas airs propaganda clip Israeli-American hostage, 23, with missing hand, seen fuming at government for failing to free abductees for 20 days, describing ‘hell’ in Gaza captivity

Click here to view Hersh Goldberg-Polin video released by Hamas

MSNBC Jon Polin: My son is a Hamas hostage. Passover this year expands the boundaries of our agony The main theme of Passover is freedom. This year, for so many, there is no freedom — not for our son, not for any of the 133 hostages still being held in Gaza, not for our family and the families of other hostages. There is no freedom for the Israeli people, who are still very much traumatized from the events of Oct. 7 and have not yet begun the difficult and lengthy healing process required, and no freedom for the innocent people suffering in the Gaza Strip. READ MORE

TIME MAGAZINE Rachel Goldberg-Polin named one the 100 Most Influential People of 2024 In hopes of seeing him [Hersh] again, Goldberg-Polin has become one of the most visible advocates for the hostages and their families. She has met with dozens of world leaders, including President Biden. (Her son, like Goldberg-Polin and her husband, is a dual American-Israeli citizen.) She has addressed the U.N. in New York City and Geneva. She has even had an audience with the Pope. READ MORE