Disturbing Video of American-Israeli Hostage Released

Earlier this week, Hamas released a propaganda video that revealed that American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is still alive.

The hope appears to be to use the hostages as leverage for Israel to call for a permanent cease-fire.

The video was one of a handful of videos that Hamas has been releasing of hostages, showing how emaciated and abused they have been since the war started.

Disturbing

If you see pictures of Goldberg-Polin, he hardly resembles the man he was before the war.

In addition to the obvious, he is now missing his left hand, which Hamas says was lost during the attack from a grenade.

Goldberg-Polin was apparently at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas crossed the border and started its massacre.

He was hiding among a crowd of people in a bomb shelter when the area was reportedly hit with grenades.

Goldberg-Polin has become the face of the movement to have the remaining hostages freed, with Hamas using him and the rest of the hostages to bargain for the end of the war with Israel.

הסרטון של החטוף הירש גולדברג-פולין הוא עוד איתות שחמאס לא מורתע ומעוניין להתעלל בנו, משפחות החטופים.

ליבנו יוצא אל משפחת גולדברג-פולין ואנו כואבים איתם את האכזריות והגועל של החמאס. 

אנו מבקשים בכל לשון של בקשה מכל אמצעי התקשורת לא לשתף פעולה עם סרטוני התעמולה הנאצית>> pic.twitter.com/3hK9IPz3NZ

— פורום תקווה (@forum_tikva) April 24, 2024

Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, while stating that he would agree to a cease-fire if all hostages were released, has been adamant that this war will not be over until he ends Hamas.

After the video of Goldberg-Polin was released, his parents, stated, “Seeing the video of Hersh today is overwhelming. We are relieved to see him alive but we are also concerned about his health and wellbeing as well as that of all the other hostages and all of those suffering in this region.

“We are here today with a plea to all of the leaders of the parties who have been negotiating to date. This includes Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas and Israel: be brave, lean in, seize this moment and get a deal done to reunite all of us with our loved ones and end the suffering in this region.

“Hersh, we heard your voice today for the first time in 201 days and if you can hear us, we are telling you, we love you, stay strong, survive.”

The question now is how many of the remaining 133 hostages taken by Hamas are still alive, and that is a question that is not even close to being answered.

These hostages have been abused, tortured, raped, and many of them likely killed by the terrorist organization.

That is one of the things holding up negotiations, as Hamas has been quite coy about how many hostages taken that were not yet released are still breathing.