The parents of 23-year-old American Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped by Hamas in an attack on Israel, made a plea for their son’s safe return at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They also took 250 people hostage, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was attending the music festival Tribe of Nova to celebrate his birthday at the time.
During the DNC on August 21, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg expressed their anguish over the war and emphasized that there are no winners in this situation. They called for a deal that would bring all 109 hostages home and end the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza.
Polin and Goldberg have been living with immense pain since their son was taken captive 320 days ago. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza, including eight Americans. As of July 24th, Israel had managed to secure the release of only 116 hostages. Four were released by Hamas while seven were rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The remaining hostages were released during a prisoner exchange deal last year.
Goldberg shared her heartbreak as a parent witnessing her child’s suffering. When Hamas attacked, Hersh sought safety with others in a bomb shelter but unfortunately lost his arm when terrorists threw grenades inside. He has been held captive in Gaza ever since.
The families of American hostages regularly meet to support each other and are encouraged by bipartisan support from both Democratic and Republican leaders for their loved ones’ release.
While discussing ongoing cease-fire talks between Gaza and Israel at the DNC event, it became clear that key points such as whether Israeli troops will remain stationed at certain locations have caused negotiations to stall. Hamas insists on full IDF withdrawal from southern Gaza’s Philadelphi corridor before agreeing to any deal; however, Israel is concerned about leaving any intact Hamas military capacity behind as it could lead to future attacks.
It is important to note that Joseph Lord contributed to this report.