One of six deceased hostages recovered by the Israeli military in Gaza had ties to Clayton in North Georgia, where the California native was a camp counselor.
The Israeli military announced the recovery of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages on Sunday, saying they had been killed either Thursday or Friday. The remains were found in an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
“There are no words to express the heartbreak we are all feeling,” said a Facebook post by officials with Camp Ramah Darom. “Hersh, his parents Jon and Rachel, his sisters and many members of his extended family were longtime Ramah Darom Passover participants. The hope we were holding onto, the raw emotion and the tireless persistence of Rachel and Jon to keep Hersh and the hostages top of mind, make this news even more gut wrenching. We grieve along with the entire Goldberg-Polin family.”
Below the post, commenters grieved over the family’s loss.
“I am broken hearted, broken in so many ways, both for the family, his friends, his country, and the loss of his smile in the world! May his beautiful spirit be a wonderful memory forever!!” one response read.
Goldberg-Polin and the other victims were scheduled to be released in a cease-fire proposed in July. He was taken captive at a music festival when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages on Oct. 7.
Goldberg-Polin was in a Hamas-issued video in April, showing part of his missing left arm due to a grenade blast during the attack. His appearance sparked renewed protests in Israel.
“May God comfort his parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, his sisters and all those who knew and loved him,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement released Sunday. The Georgia official noted that Goldberg-Polin’s relatives installed an exhibit in the young man’s honor at Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents became two of the most high-profile relatives of hostages, urging the release of all the hostages. They addressed the United Nations and the Democratic National Convention, urging the release of all hostages.
On Monday, the mother — who ended many speeches with a message for her son to “stay strong, survive” — and father laid their son to rest at a cemetery in Jerusalem as tens of thousands of people showed up to pay their respects.
“And Hersh, there’s one last thing I need you to do for us,” his mother said at the funeral. “Now, I need you to help us stay strong, and I need you to help us survive.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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