Israel and Hamas. Goldberg-Polin (hostage families): “Concern for the hostages and civilians in Gaza”

(Jerusalem) “From the beginning I have always been concerned about the fate of all the hostages and at the same time also the civilians in Gaza. There is no competition in pain, all human beings experience pain. The dangerous and heartbreaking thing is to believe that there is a competition between these two pains.

There is no competition between the suffering of civilians living in Gaza and that of those who were dragged into Gaza.”

it is the testimony of Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh, a young 23-year-old “civilian”, taken hostage by Hamas on ‘October 7’ while he was at the Nova Music Festival, in Reim in southern Israel. “Hersh is a young man who loves life, travel, geography, in love with football and music, he had just returned from a nine-week trip, alone, through Europe” says Rachel who last night, in Jerusalem, met the card. Matteo Zuppiarchbishop of Bologna and president of the CEI, who is leading a pilgrimage of peace and solidarity in the Holy Land (from 13 to 16 June) with 160 participants.

The story. The boy, born in California and who moved with his family to Israel in 2008, was injured during the attack while several of his friends were killed. Rachel’s story turns the clock back to October 7, 2023: “They had found shelter in a nearby anti-rocket shelter: “29 of them were hiding in this small bunker of just under 4 square metres. The Hamas terrorists arrived and started throwing grenades inside and firing machine guns.” Hersh, Rachel’s only son, “was saved, along with a few others, because he remained under the bodies of his friends, thus being able to pretend to be dead. In the attack, some survivors later told us, Hersh was injured in his left arm, which was later amputated as shown in a video of the young man published on Telegram by Hamas. My son and three other injured young people were forced out of the shelter, loaded into pick up trucks and dragged to the Gaza Strip. Since then I have been living on another planet.” Yesterday marked 251 days since Hersh’s kidnapping, a number written on an adhesive label on Rachel’s shirt.

Pope Francis with the families of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas (Photo by the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See)

The words of Pope Francis. We did the impossible to save our only son and one of the most profound moments of this tragic time was the meeting in Rome with Pope Francis. The Pontiff told us that what we have experienced is terrorism and that terrorism is the absence of humanity. His words gave me the strength to continue believing in humanity. There was a moment when I couldn’t process what had happened but the Pope helped me believe in humanity.

My faith allowed me to survive.

(Photo ANSA/SIR)

Pawns in a game that no one wants. Today Rachel is one of the most active figures in the hostage families movement: “Our concern, every day, is to try to talk to anyone who can help find a solution to this drama and put an end to the pain shared in the region. The feeling we have is of being pawns in a game we never chose to play.”

“We, the hostages, the civilian population in Gaza, are pawns. The only thing we have to do is wait for these two belligerents, who started the game, to put their ego and self-interest aside.”

And the stalemate in negotiations between Hamas and Israel seems to prove the woman right. “I am very grateful to you – were her final words – that you came to our country in this difficult moment, I am grateful to the Pope because he is working towards a just peace for both of us. It’s difficult to explain what we feel but we feel your prayers and your help and we are grateful for this.”