'Get a deal done': Parents of Israeli-American man taken hostage by Hamas plead for son's release
The parents of an American-Israeli man taken hostage by Hamas have pleaded with those involved in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the proscribed terror group to "get a deal done".
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was one of more than 200 people taken into the Gaza Strip when militants belonging to Hamas and other Palestinian groups launched an unprecedented attack into southern Israel on October 7.
On Wednesday, Hamas released a video of Mr Goldberg-Polin, 23, which purported to show him alive and speaking to a camera - the first time he has been pictured since he was taken hostage.
ITV News has not been able to independently verify when the video was filmed or whether Mr Goldberg-Polin was under duress.
The video's release ignited new protests in Jerusalem calling on the government to do more to secure the captives' release.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Mr Goldberg-Polin is one of 133 hostages still being held by Hamas in "inhumane conditions", adding it will "leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find our hostages".
The Hamas-released video of the hostage appears to show him sat in a chair with a partially amputated left arm.
At one point - as other hostages have done in similar propaganda videos - Mr Goldberg-Polin criticises Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's failure to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
He also claimed that some 70 captives have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign.
Mr Goldberg-Polin was at the Tribe of Nova music festival when Hamas launched its attack from nearby Gaza. In the video, Goldberg-Polin is missing part of his left arm. Witnesses said he lost it when attackers tossed grenades into a shelter where people had taken refuge. He had tied a tourniquet around it before being bundled into the truck by Hamas.
In a video shared on X, Mr Goldberg-Polin's parents said it was "overwhelming" to see a video of their son, but that they were "relieved to see him alive".
"We're here today with a plea to all of the leaders of the parties who have been negotiating to date, that 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," Mr Goldberg-Polin's father, Jon, said.
The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the latter's October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the military action Israel has since taken inside Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry.
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