Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, the American-Israeli hostage who lost his left hand when he was abducted by Hamas at the Nova music festival on October 7, has been found dead in Gaza by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.
Goldberg-Polin was identified after reports circulated Saturday that the Israeli military had discovered several unidentified bodies in Gaza. As rumors spread across Israel on social media, the Israeli military asked the public to wait before identifying the bodies.
In a statement, the Israeli army said:
The Israeli army has located a number of bodies during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. At present, troops are still operating in the area and are conducting an operation to extract and identify the bodies that will last several hours. We ask that rumors not be spread.
Israeli Army Radio reported Sunday morning local time that Goldberg-Polin had been identified as one of the dead. The immediate cause of death was not given.
Army Radio also reported that the family of Israeli hostage Ori Danino, 25, who was abducted after rescuing people from the music festival, had also been identified as one of the victims. So had Eden Yerushalmi, 24, an Israeli woman who had spoken with her family before being abducted from the festival.
Six bodies were found; the other three had not yet been identified at the time of publication of this article.
Update: In a statement, the Israeli military and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said:
Yesterday (Saturday), the Israeli army and the ISA located and recovered the bodies of hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Staff Sergeant Ori Danino, from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip and returned them to Israeli territory.
They were all taken hostage on October 7 and murdered by the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Following an identification procedure conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police and the IDF Military Rabbinate, the Hostage Team of the IDF Personnel Directorate, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, informed their families. The IDF and the ISA extend their deepest condolences to the families.
The Israeli army and security forces are using all means to bring all hostages home as quickly as possible.
The voices of the military radio announcers were heavy and close to tears, despite the almost routine nature of military news.
“Our hearts are broken,” the Goldberg-Polin family said, thanking the public for their support and asking for privacy.
Horrible news. I can’t imagine the pain his family is feeling right now, may they find the strength to get through this time and may his memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/9eAF0JRI20
– Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) September 1, 2024
Hersh was one of the iconic hostages, prominently featured in protests and even in graffiti on the walls of buildings in West Jerusalem, where he and his family lived after moving to Israel from the United States. He had served in the IDF’s Armored Corps and was enjoying time off from his military service when he was abducted.
Relatives and supporters hold placards and unfurl a banner bearing the portraits of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, and other hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, during a rally calling for their release, outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, on May 22, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Goldberg-Polin appears in a video released by Hamas in April as part of its efforts to exert psychological pressure on the Israeli public and the Israeli government to force a hostage deal on unfavorable terms. He appears thin, but alive.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Hamas hostage
Goldberg-Polin’s parents have lobbied politicians around the world for her release, meeting with President Joe Biden and prominent visitors to Israel such as Elon Musk.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s mother, shows Elon Musk footage of her son’s kidnapping. He lost an arm in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and remains a hostage. (Haim Zach/GPO)
They also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this month and gave a moving speech in which they pleaded for help for the hostages, regardless of their political leanings. (The parents of Omer Neutra, another American-Israeli hostage, spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.)
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, are emotional as they arrive on stage to speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic Party delegates, politicians and supporters are in Chicago for the convention, which culminates in current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party’s presidential nomination. The Democratic National Convention runs from August 19-22. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Biden made an unusual comment Saturday about the discovery of the unidentified bodies, asking for patience until families are notified. Now he appears to have been told Goldberg-Polin was among the dead.
In a statement delivered Saturday evening local time in Washington, D.C., Biden mourned Goldberg-Polin’s death:
Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas. We now have confirmation that one of the hostages killed by these Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a peace music festival in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers in the savage Hamas massacre. He had just turned 23. He was planning to travel the world. I have come to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They were courageous, wise, and determined, even when they endured the unimaginable. They were tireless and unwavering advocates for their son and all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I know that all Americans tonight will be praying for them, as will Jill and I. I worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh home safely, and I am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
The Biden administration had opposed the Israeli incursion into Rafah. Israel nevertheless pressed ahead, believing that some of the hostages were being held there and that Hamas leaders were hiding beneath the city.
Update: IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters that troops found the bodies one kilometer from where an Israeli Arab Muslim Bedouin hostage, Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, was rescued last week.
Al-Qadi informed the soldiers of the possible location of other hostages.
Hagari said it was not yet clear whether Hamas had killed the other hostages in response to the rescue. He said, however, that it was clear that the hostages had been killed by Hamas.
“They were brutally murdered moments before we could reach them,” he said, referring to a rescue operation.
This story is developing.
Joel B. Pollak is a senior editor at Breitbart News and host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT). He is the author of “The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Elizabeth Weibel contributed to this article.
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