Rachel Goldberg and Jonathan Paulin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Paulin who was taken hostage in the October 7 Hamas attacks, attend a demonstration by the families of the captives demanding their release, near Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel, on the border with Gaza on 29 August 2024.
Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images
Hersh Goldberg-Paulin, an Israeli-American hostage in the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, is among six hostages whose bodies were recovered Saturday.
“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the passing of their beloved son and brother, Hersh. The family thanks everyone for your love and support and requests privacy at this time,” a family spokesperson said.
President Joe Biden said the bodies of Goldberg-Paulin and five other hostages held by Hamas were recovered in a tunnel under Rafah.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said in the statement.
The Israel Defense Forces identified the hostages as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino.
The IDF and Shin Bet retrieved the bodies from the tunnel and brought them back to Israeli soil, the IDF said.
“Since the identification of Farhan, forces have been instructed to proceed with extra caution, even more so than usual, with the understanding that there may be additional hostages in the area,” he said. “We had no information on the exact location of the hostages.”
Hagaris expressed his condolences to the families of the hostages.
“It is impossible to put into words what the hostages have suffered in Hamas captivity since October 7, now 331 days, and what their families have been through,” he said. “This morning, this news shocks us all.”
They took hostages from festivals, houses
Goldberg-Polin, 23, was among those taken hostage during the attack on the Supernova music festival in the Israeli desert. and lost his arm to a grenade explosion.
His parents were visible and outspoken supporters of returning the hostages home, including one passionate plea for his release during the Democratic National Convention
“They have been relentless and unyielding defenders of their son and all the hostages held in unconscious conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, the leaders of Hamas will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock for a deal that will secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
Gat, 40, kidnapped from her parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri. She was an occupational therapist from Tel Aviv, according to the Hostage Families Forum. The group said the returned hostages described her as their “guardian angel” who taught them meditation and yoga in captivity.
“She enjoyed solo travel, meeting new people, going to live rock concerts and especially loved Radiohead,” the forum said.
Yerushalmi, a 24-year-old from Tel Aviv, was driven from the Nova music festival, where she worked as a bartender, according to the forum. She loved her family, pilates, animals and dancing, according to a video posted on an Instagram account dedicated to advocating for her return home.
Lobanov, 33, and Sarusi, 27, were also abducted from the music festival, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
Lobanov worked as a bar manager at the festival. His wife gave birth to their second child while he was being held captive, according to the Hostage Families Forum. He was from Ashkelon.
Sarusi, from Ra’anana, was a “bright, humorous person, friendly to everyone,” said a post from the X Bring Them Home Now account. He was with his girlfriend of five years at the music festival, who was killed. “He stayed with her, trying to help when she was injured, and was then arrested,” according to the forum.
Danino, a 25-year-old from Jerusalem, was also kidnapped at the Nova festival, according to the Israeli embassy in the US, which said he “helped others escape before being captured himself.” He was the eldest of five siblings and planned to start studying electrical engineering, according to the forum.
Hamas condemned
Messages of frustration and outrage from Biden administration officials and politicians began pouring in late Saturday after Goldberg-Paulin’s death was announced.
Vice President Kamala Harris mourned Goldberg-Paulin’s death, saying in a statement that her prayers are with his parents and “all who knew and loved Hers.”
He strongly condemned Hamas, calling it “an evil terrorist organization” that now has “even more American blood on its hands.”
“The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel – and American citizens in Israel – must be eliminated, and Hamas cannot control Gaza,” she said in the statement, which was in her official capacity as vice president and not for her presidential campaign.
“Our hearts go out to Jon, Rachel and their entire family, as well as the other families who found out today that their loved ones will not be coming home. May their memory be a blessing,” Foreign Secretary Antony said Blinken, invoking a phrase used by Jews to mourn the dead.
Goldberg-Pauline’s parentsalong with the families of other hostages, they relentlessly urged Netanyahu and the Israeli government, as well as the international community, to focus on the plight of their loved ones.
In July, Goldberg-Polin’s parents joined the families of other American hostages during Netanyahu’s visit to DC to share their message: Bring the hostages home now.
At the Democratic National Convention last weekhis parents pleaded again for his return.
“Since then, we’ve been living on another planet,” Rachel Goldberg-Paulin said of her son’s abduction. “Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that Jon and I and all the families of the hostages are enduring.”
Pressure on Netanyahu
In one statement for Xthe Hostage and Missing Families Forum pointed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he “gave up the abductees! This is now a fact.”
“From tomorrow the country will tremble. We call on the public to prepare. We are blocking the country,” the announcement reads. The forum said it would share more details on Sunday morning.
Netanyahu faces mounting pressure in Israel and around the world to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that would secure the release of the hostages and end the fighting in Gaza.
Earlier Saturday, Biden called for an end to the war.
“We have to end this war,” Biden said. “I think we’re on the verge of a deal. And it’s just time to get it done. It’s time to get it done.”
Over 1,200 people were killed in Israel and around 250 others were taken hostage during the October 7 Hamas terror attack.
The devastation and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where health officials say more than 40,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military offensive, has drawn international condemnation and isolated Netanyahu on the international stage.
About 100 hostages remain in Hamas custody.
In the 10 months since the attack, some hostages have been released through diplomatic deals, some have been rescued during IDF operations, and some have been killed or died in captivity. The hostage situation has roiled Israeli society, sparking protests and anger that Netanyahu has failed to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring them home.
