Video released by Hamas shows Israeli-American hostage with ties to Chicago area alive – NBC Chicago

Hamas released a hostage video Wednesday showing a well-known Israeli-American man with ties to the Chicago area who was among dozens of people kidnapped by militants in the attack that sparked the Gaza war .

The video was the first sign of life from Hersh Goldberg-Polin since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, and its release sparked new protests in Jerusalem calling on the government to do more to secure the release of the captives.

In the video, Goldberg-Polin accuses the Israeli government of abandoning people held hostage by Hamas. He also claimed that around 70 captives were killed during the Israeli bombing campaign. Goldberg-Polin was clearly speaking under duress, and this claim could not be independently verified. It is unclear when exactly the video was made.

Goldberg-Polin, 23, was at the Tribe of Nova music festival when Hamas launched its attack from nearby Gaza. In the video, Goldberg-Polin is missing part of his left arm.

Witnesses said he lost it when attackers threw grenades at a shelter where people were taking refuge. He had tied a tourniquet around the vehicle before being loaded into the truck by Hamas.

Goldberg-Polin is one of the most recognized captives. Posters with his image are pinned up all over Israel. His mother, Rachel Goldberg, met with world leaders and spoke at the United Nations.

Goldberg-Polin’s parents are both Chicago natives, with Goldberg-Polin’s grandmother still residing in the Chicago suburbs.

Although there is no date on the video, Goldberg-Polin appears to be referencing the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover, which began Monday.

His parents said they were relieved to see him alive but worried for his health and well-being, as well as that of the other hostages.

“We are here today to appeal to all the leaders of the parties who have negotiated so far,” said his father, Jon Polin, citing Egypt, Israel, Qatar, the United States and the Hamas.

“Be courageous, lean in, seize this moment and reach an agreement to reunite all of us with our loved ones and end the suffering in this region,” he said.

The families of the hostages have accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not doing enough to secure the release of their loved ones.

After the Hamas video was made public, hundreds of Israelis gathered outside Netanyahu’s official residence in central Jerusalem on Wednesday, calling on the government to reach a deal to repatriate the hostages. Many held posters of Goldberg-Polin and some demonstrators set cardboard boxes on fire.

“We are afraid for his life, so we went to protest and called on the government to do everything possible to bring him and everyone else back as quickly as possible,” said one of the protesters, Nimrod Madrer. “Bring them home,” the crowd chanted.

At the nearby Great Synagogue, a large crowd insulted ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, chanting “shame” as he left the building after a Passover gathering. A protester hit Ben-Gvir’s car and was pushed back by police as she left.

Hamas and other militants kidnapped about 250 people in the Oct. 7 attack and killed about 1,200, mostly civilians. They are believed to still be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others. Most of the others were released in November in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said Goldberg-Polin’s family had asked mediators to inquire about her fate on humanitarian grounds.

His family “traveled the world looking for any sign of him,” al-Hayya said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television. Hamas’ military wing “sent a strong message by publishing this young man’s message to Netanyahu,” al-Hayya said.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to negotiate a new ceasefire and the release of hostages, but talks appear to have stalled. Hamas said it would not release the remaining hostages unless Israel ended the war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local officials.

Netanyahu has rejected these demands and says Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas and returning all hostages home. It has faced growing criticism in Israel, where some say it will be impossible to do both.