Israeli officials announced earlier Sunday night that Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American prisoner, had died. The 23-year-old was kidnapped by Hamas extremists on October 7 while they attacked southwestern Israel. Despite aspirations for his safe return, his system, along with those of five different victims, was recovered on Saturday from caverns beneath Rafah.
Who was Hersh Goldberg-Polin?
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was born in Oakland, California, and moved to Israel with his home in 2008 when he was seven years old. Holding two Israeli-American citizen, he was known for his bright demeanour and heavy love for geographical and travel. His youth interests were visible in his chamber, which was filled with maps, globes, and National Geographic publications. Before his suicide, Goldberg-Polin had planned to embark on a planet journey in December 2023—a desire cut short by the dreadful occurrences at the Nova audio event.
Described by his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, as a “happy-go-lucky, laid up, good-humoured, polite, and curious people”, Hersh was an elder sibling to two sisters and deeply passionate about sports, music, and traveling. His childhood fascination with landscape led him to accumulate maps, globes, maps, and bundles of National Geographic publications, filling his room with symbols of his curiosity about the world. In a heartfelt address to the Democratic National Convention ( DNC), Rachel said,” He has been obsessed with geography and travel since he was a young boy.”
Hersh had optimistic plans to travel extensively. In December 2023, he made plans to travel round the world, taking a trip there after attending the Nova audio festival in southern Israel, close to the Gaza-Israel borders. The event, intended as a party of his 23rd day with his best buddy Aner, rather turned into a problem on October 7 when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack, killing over 1, 200 people and taking on 250 hostages, according to Jewish reports.
As rockets rained down, Hersh, Aner, and 27 other festival-goers sought refuge in a cramped 5-by-8-foot bomb shelter. During the assault, terrorists threw grenades into the shelter. Before the eighth grenade killed him,” Aner stood in the doorway and repelled seven of those grenades,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin remarked. Hersh, who was left-handed, tried to throw grenades out of the shelter, but one exploded near him, severely injuring his left arm.
When Hamas gunmen forcibly took Hersh away, the attack escalated even more. The last thing his friends remembered about him was this moment of chaos and violence. It was n’t until six months later, in April, that the first sign of life from Hersh emerged. Hamas video showed him with his left arm missing from the elbow down and his hair coming out short. Speaking in Hebrew, he stated he had been “here for almost 200 days” and urged his parents to stay strong.
However, hopes for his return were dashed when, more than four months later, Hersh was confirmed dead. His family, in a statement released through the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed their profound grief:” With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh. The family thanks everyone for your support and love and asks for privacy at this time.
Later, the Israeli military made it known that Hersh’s body was discovered “brutally murdered” along with five other hostages in Hamas-run tunnels beneath Rafah just before Israeli troops could reach them. Hersh and two other hostages, Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat, were scheduled to be released in an early ceasefire agreement, which Israeli officials later said was “humanitarian,” but the release was postponed.
Throughout his captivity, Hersh’s parents, Rachel and Jon Polin, became vocal advocates for a deal to secure the release of the hostages. They frequently met with senior U.S. officials in Washington and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate for their son’s and others ‘ return. In an emotional plea at the DNC in Chicago, they underscored the human aspect of their struggle:” This is a political convention. However, it is not a political issue to need our only son and all of the dear hostages back. It is a humanitarian issue”, said Jon Polin.
Many people were deeply moved by the couple’s activism and moving speeches, which led to calls to “bring him home,” which later became a rallying cry for hostage-loving families. The Goldberg-Polin family, wearing pieces of tape with the number 320 to mark the days their son had been held captive, became symbols of resilience and hope.
