Hamas shows Israeli hostage with amputated arm, parents: “Be brave, find an agreement”

“Come to an agreement so that we can all hug our loved ones again and to put an end to the suffering in this region”, he is heartfelt appeal from Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents, a 23 year old kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 attack in southern Israel and shown in a video in the past few hours. In the short clip, the young Israeli had his left arm amputated below the elbow, an operation that occurred during his imprisonment after being wounded during the Hamas attack.

Obviously speaking while in prison, in the video published on Wednesday on the Hamas Telegram account, Goldberg-Polin said he needed medical help and was critical of the Israeli government’s attempts to negotiate the return of the hostages. Before Wednesday, the last time he had been seen alive was in another Hamas video showing him while being loaded onto a pickup truck, with part of his left arm seriously injured.

In response, his mother and father asked today, in a public video, that more must be done to secure a new agreement on the release of the hostages. The two parents urged Israel and Hamas and the US, Egypt and Qatar mediators to conclude an agreement as soon as possible.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was attending the Supernova music festival on October 7 when Hamas-led gunmen from Gaza stormed the area, killing about 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. More than 360 people were killed during the festival. Several hostages were later freed and others found dead during the Israeli attack on Gaza. Many others are in the hands of Hamas.

More than 34,200 people have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry. Weeks of negotiations have so far failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting the latest proposal for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of 40 of the remaining 133 hostages.

“Seeing a Hersh video today is overwhelming,” Jon Polin said, adding: “We are relieved to see him alive, but we are also worried for his health and well-being, as well as that of all the other hostages and all those suffering in this region.” “We are here today with an appeal to all the leaders who have negotiated to date. These include Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas and Israel. Be brave, seize this moment and close a deal to reunite all of us with our loved ones and put an end to the suffering in this region” concluded the 23-year-old’s parents.