The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists and whose body was recovered from Gaza last week, approved the publication of footage filmed by Hamas as part of its psychological terror campaign.
“This must serve as an immediate wake-up call to the world, to act today to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages before it is too late. No other family should go through what our family went through,” Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Jon and Rachel, told the media.
They are currently still observing the traditional Jewish mourning period after the death of a family member, called shiva, which immediately follows the funeral.
Hamas terrorists kidnapped Goldberg-Polin on Oct. 7 after attending the Nova Festival near Kibbutz Re’im. IDF troops found him murdered together with five other Israeli hostages in a tunnel under the Gaza town of Rafah last week.
“Continue on your journey sweet boy! I hope it will be as good as the trips you dreamed of, because finally, my sweet boy, finally, finally you are free! I will always love you and miss you every day for the rest of my life,” Rachel said on Thursday.
“But you are here. I know you’re here, I just have to teach myself to feel you in a new way. And Hersh – I need to ask you to do one last thing for us, now I need you to help us stay strong. And I need you to help us survive,” she said.
On Thursday, Hamas released the footage showing Goldberg-Polin, after already having published similar propaganda videos of four of the other six murdered hostages.
At the start of the video, Goldberg-Polin introduces himself, saying he was born in Berkeley, California, and later moved to Jerusalem.
“I am an American and Israeli citizen, I turned 23 four days before I was kidnapped at the party in the Re’im Forest on the seventh of October,” he continued.
“Since I arrived in Gaza, I’ve survived with almost no medical care, little food, and little water. I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun or took a breath of fresh air,” he said, before noting the “non-stop” airstrikes by the IDF and criticizing the Israeli government for not getting him out.
Israeli media has so far chosen not to show the hostage videos released by Hamas, in order not to cooperate with its psychological warfare. The terror group is believed to have forced the hostages to read out pre-written statements.
“I’m asking you President Biden and Anthony Blinken and all American citizens to do everything you can to stop the war, stop the madness, and bring me home now,” Hersh continued.
At the end of his short statement, he turned to his family: “Mama, Dada, Leebie and Orly, I love you, I miss you, and I’m thinking about you every single day. I know you’re doing everything you can and that you’re out in the streets trying to bring me home.”
“Now, I need you to stay strong for me. Keep on fighting, and hopefully, I believe I’ll be home soon. Don’t stop. I love you.”
