Israeli-American among hostages found dead in Gaza

Goldberg-Polin was one of the known hostages as his parents had met with world leaders and pressed relentlessly for their help, according to AP. Last month, they addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the crowd chanted “bring them home.”

United States President Joe Biden, confirming Goldberg-Polin’s death, said he was heartbroken by the news. The White House, in a statement, quoted Biden as saying: “I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world. I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable. They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express.”

He also assured that Hamas leaders would pay for the crime. “I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will. I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages,” Biden stated.

Born in California, Goldberg-Polin had moved to Israel at the age of seven, a report in The Jerusalem Post stated. He was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7.

Israel and Hamas are currently weighing a US proposal for a ceasefire deal and the release of the remaining captives. Over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire last year, in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and reaching a similar agreement is still widely seen as the only way of getting the rest of the hostages back, according to an AP report.

Last month, while Biden announced a phased plan for cease-fire and hostage release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly questioned some aspects of it, particularly its call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a lasting truce, the AP report noted.

Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel in October last year, with Palestinian militants killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others.

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