Hamas releases clip of Israeli-American hostage who lost his arm in October 7 attack

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Wednesday published a video showing an Israeli-American hostage under their custody, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was captured during the October 7 attack.

The propaganda video shows the 23-year-old with his left arm missing several inches above the hand, news agency Reuters reported.

He was wounded during the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival and a previous video shot on the day of the attack had shown him severely injured.

In the new edited video, released today, which does not mention any date, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, can be heard criticising the Benjamin Netanyahu government for “neglecting” the hostages.

Responding to the Hamas video, Polin’s parents issued a video message, stating they were relieved to see him alive after “almost 200 days” in captivity, and they called upon the world leaders to act and reach a hostage release deal.

“Seeing a video of him is overwhelming, and we are relieved to see him alive. We are also concerned about his health and well-being, as well as the other hostages,” his father said.

“We are here today with an appeal to all the world leaders who have been negotiating to date, including Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas, and Israel. Be brave, lean in, seize this moment, get a deal done to release all our loved ones, and end the suffering in this region,” he added.

His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who has been campaigning actively for the release of her son, told Polin, in the video message, to “stay strong and survive”.

Around 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage by the gunmen, who killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. As many as 133 Israeli hostages are still in captivity by Hamas after more than 100 were released last year.

Israel’s counterattack on Hamas in Gaza has so far killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.

As the war continues, world leaders have been negotiating to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.