The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin says he has been killed in the Gaza Strip.

The family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin announced the young man’s death early Sunday, ending a relentless campaign by his parents to rescue him that included meetings with world leaders and an address to the Democratic convention last month.

Goldberg-Polin, 23, was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him, his left hand missing and clearly speaking under duress, sparking new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure his and others’ freedom.

  • TWeaKEnglish
    10•3 months ago

    We can also safely assume they had a very happy life until hammas decided to kidnap them on OCT 7.

    Absolutely. However they were kept alive until recently. What happened recently? Israel stepped up its assault. This is a strong correlation.

    Does the IDF expect Hamas to just hand over hostages when they come in? If Israel were sincere about their desire to rescue hostages they would be acting differently.

    • matlag
      -6•3 months ago

      To summarize: they had a happy life until a terrorist group took them during a massacre.

      Then they lived a short horrible life in the hands of their takers, while there is a war outside where one side claim to fight to liberate them without actually negociating their release and the other claims to use them as hostages while not really negociating their release either.

      And somewhat, they end up dead because let’s be real: neither side gave a f*ck about them.

      • TWeaKEnglish
        7•3 months ago

        Yeah pretty much.

        I mean I’d just draw back to three things:

        • Ben Gvir was closely involved in the Israeli far right group that assassinated the Israeli Prime Minister in the 90s.
        • Netanyahu previously said that people should give Hamas money, as this would be the best way for Israel to take control of Gaza and the West Bank (and apparently now their eyes are on Lebanon next).
        • For some reason Netanyahu left a skeleton crew on the border, sacrificing guards in the towers, relying on an early warning system with an obvious single point of failure (sole reliance on the cellphone network), on the 50th anniversary of the last Yom Kippur war. Anyone with half a brain would realise that such a calendar date is a time for heightened security, not relaxed. And this is the man who campaigned for office on his ability to provide security for Israel.
      • @Doorbook
        6•3 months ago

        One important point: “ the other claims to use them as hostages while not really negociating their release either.” is false.

        Hamas did and still agree to a biden resolution.

        What happen after? Everyday israel kills a range goes from 15 to 150. Assassinate two of the main negotiator for hamas. Continue depriving civilian in gaza ( basically children and women) from basic life needed support ( limited food and medicine - limited access to water ) and ask them to move from corner to another safe place to bomb them again in the save place.