Hamas put out a video on Wednesday showing a well-known Israeli-American guy who got caught up in their attack last October. This was the first time anyone had seen or heard from Hersh Goldberg-Polin since the attack that kicked off the Gaza conflict. The video got people in Jerusalem riled up, urging the government to step up efforts to get the hostages back.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin blamed Israel’s government for leaving them in the lurch and said about 70 hostages had died in the bombing. But it was obvious he was under pressure, and there was no way to check if what he said was true. Nobody knew when the video was made.
Goldberg-Polin, who’s 23, was at a music festival when Hamas struck from Gaza. He’s clearly been through a lot—he’s missing part of his left arm, apparently from a grenade attack on a shelter where he was hiding. Witnesses say he managed to tie a tourniquet before Hamas grabbed him.
He’s one of the most recognizable hostages, with his face plastered on posters all over Israel. His mom, Rachel Goldberg, has been meeting with world leaders and even spoke at the UN.
Even though there wasn’t a date on the video, Goldberg-Polin seemed to mention Passover, which started on Monday.
His parents were relieved to see him alive but worried sick about his health and the others’ too. His dad, Jon Polin, pleaded with leaders from Egypt, Israel, Qatar, the US, and Hamas to get a deal done and end the suffering.
Families of the hostages blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing enough to bring their loved ones back. After the video came out, hundreds of Israelis gathered outside Netanyahu’s place, demanding action. They held up posters of Goldberg-Polin and some even set boxes on fire.
“We’re scared for his life, so we’re protesting and begging the government to do everything possible to bring him and the others back, ASAP,” said one protester.
At a nearby synagogue, people booed the country’s security minister, shouting “shame” as he left a Passover event. One protester even banged on his car.
Hamas and other groups snatched around 250 people in October and killed about 1,200, mostly civilians. They’re still holding around 100 hostages and some remains. Most of the others were freed in November in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.
A Hamas big shot said Goldberg-Polin’s family asked about him for humanitarian reasons. The family was desperately trying to find him, he said.
The US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release, but it’s going nowhere. Hamas won’t budge unless Israel stops the war, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, according to local officials.
Netanyahu says Israel won’t give in to those demands and is determined to crush Hamas and get everyone home. But some folks in Israel doubt he can pull it off.
