ALBAWABA- Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin has surfaced in a video released by Hamas, marking the first confirmation that he survived the October 7 attacks in which he was badly injured.
The video, which emerged on Wednesday, shows Goldberg-Polin criticizing the Israeli government and urging his family to remain strong.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin, whose hair is cropped short, appears to criticize the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He mentions government ministers enjoying holiday dinners with their families, likely referring to the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Goldberg-Polin, held captive in Gaza for six months, expresses his hope that his family finds comfort in the holiday despite his absence. He was born in the United States but moved to Israel in 2008.
His parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, received the last messages from him on the day of his capture, with one saying "I love you" and the next "I’m sorry." Shortly after the attacks, Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during Hamas’ attack on Israel, which resulted in more than 1,200 deaths and over 200 people being taken hostage in Gaza.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin is seen with part of his left arm missing, which matches the injuries he sustained during the attacks. He is shown seated in a chair, addressing the camera directly, and mentions that he has been in captivity for almost 200 days, suggesting that the video was recorded shortly before Tuesday, the 200th day of his captivity.
