Hamas Releases Heartbreaking Video of Slain Israeli-American Hostage

Hamas has recently released a devastating video featuring Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza last week. The video, which marks the first appearance of Goldberg-Polin since Hamas teased its release earlier this week, showcases the young man looking disheveled and dirty as he addresses his parents and siblings. In a calm and composed manner, Goldberg-Polin expresses his love and longing for his family, urging them to stay strong and continue their efforts to bring him home.

The exact date of the video’s recording remains unclear, but it appears to have been filmed after Goldberg-Polin’s previous appearance in a Hamas propaganda video back in April. In this latest footage, he is seen with longer hair and a more prominent beard and mustache. Tragically, the hostage is forced to criticize the Israeli government and express his faltering faith in his own country. He claims to have endured severe hardships in Gaza, including a lack of medical care, food, water, and even fresh air.

The video abruptly ends with a haunting message from Hamas, warning that “time is running out.” Despite the heart-wrenching nature of the footage, Goldberg-Polin’s parents have authorized its release, believing that the world needs to witness the horrors their son endured before his untimely death. They hope that this will serve as a wake-up call for immediate action to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, so that no other family has to endure the same suffering.

Goldberg-Polin, who lost his arm in a grenade explosion during Hamas’ attack on the Nova music festival in October, became a symbol of the terror group’s brutality. His abduction was captured on Hamas bodycams, and his parents are advocating for the public release of those videos to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American officials to secure a hostage exchange deal.

During Goldberg-Polin’s funeral service in Jerusalem, his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, tearfully asked for her son’s forgiveness, expressing deep regret if there was anything more they could have done to save him. Alongside Goldberg-Polin, the victims whose bodies were recovered have been identified as Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat. Israel’s health ministry confirmed that all six hostages were killed by short-range shots a few days before their bodies were discovered.

Hamas had previously released similarly gut-wrenching videos of three other slain hostages, Yerushalmi, Lobanov, and Gat, in which they shared their emotional final words before their deaths. Yerushalmi’s family described the video as a “shocking psychological terror video.”