When terrorists from the Hamas movement attacked Israel last October 7, the Supernova music festival became one of the main scenes of carnage. 300 people lost their lives there, approximately 40 others were taken hostage by the terrorists to the Gaza Strip.
One of them was the 23-year-old Herš Goldberg-Polin, a young man of Israeli-American origin who, together with other people, tried to hide from the attackers in an anti-nuclear shelter. But Hamas gunmen found the group and started throwing grenades into the shelter.
According to the testimony of a woman who was also in the shelter and later shared her experiences with the public, Goldberg-Polin tried to throw the grenades out to protect himself and others. However, the heroic act proved fatal for him and one of the grenades exploded too soon. It is said that he strangled his own hand with his shirt, and when the attackers came to the shelter, he allowed himself and others to be loaded into a car and taken away.
Until Wednesday, that was the last time the young man was seen alive. However, Hamas has recently released a recently filmed video in which, although Goldberg-Polin looks unrecognizable from before the attack and is missing part of his forearm, he is nevertheless alive.
In the footage, which was apparently created under duress, the man turns to his family, saying he thinks about them every day. However, he is also critical of the Israeli government’s attempts to negotiate the return of the hostages.
Weeks of indirect negotiations did not lead to an agreement, and the latest proposal for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of 40 of the remaining more than a hundred hostages was rejected by Hamas.
At least 30 of those hostages are believed to be dead. However, according to NBC News, in addition to Goldberg-Polin, there should be four other Americans who could be alive.
“Finally do what is expected of you and bring us home,” urges the young man in the video, who he says is “fighting for his life with serious injuries all over his body” and needs urgent medical attention.
The young man’s parents, who during his detention became very vocal fighters for the return of the Israeli hostages, have already reacted to the video. In their own video message, they appeal to all the representatives of the parties that have so far negotiated the hostages (Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas, Israel) to use this moment and reach an agreement.
What is happening in Gaza?
The war in Gaza has already exceeded 200 days. In recent weeks, attention has mainly focused on the south of the Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinians fled before the fighting. But Israel is planning a ground offensive in the area. A humanitarian worker from the Oxfam organization describes the situation on the spot for the 5:59 podcast.
“Hersh, today we heard your voice for the first time in 201 days, and if you can hear us, we say: We love you, stay strong, survive,” the mother says in the video.
The escalation in the Middle East has been ongoing for more than half a year and has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. However, the end is still in sight and the situation is only getting worse. Additionally, Israel currently appears to be proceeding with plans for an offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, despite warnings of potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences for the 1.5 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in the area.
