Current:Home > ScamsMother of missing Israeli-American says she believes he is a hostage in Gaza-LoTradeCoin
Mother of missing Israeli-American says she believes he is a hostage in Gaza
View Date:2024-12-23 20:46:22
The mother of a 23-year-old Israeli-American told CBS News that she believes her son may be among those have been taken captive in Gaza after Saturday's unprecedented attack inside Israel by Hamas militants.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was born in California, was attending the dance music festival in the southern Israeli kibbutz of Re'im, near the Gaza Strip, when the bloody invasion by Hamas militants began — an attack in which at least 260 festival attendees were killed.
His father, Jonathan Polin, told CBS News on Sunday that Goldberg-Polin sent his parents two short messages on Saturday morning as the attack began. The first one just said "I love you," and the second only: "I'm sorry." It was the last interaction that Goldberg-Polin had with his parents.
Speaking to CBS News over the phone on Wednesday, Goldberg-Polin's mother, Rachel Polin, said that she has been able to speak to three survivors of the festival who were with Hersh, and has gathered from multiple witness accounts that her son may still be alive and a hostage.
As the attack started, Rachel Polin says she believes that her son "actually ran and got to the car that they had come down to the festival in and they were racing away," before rockets began to rain down on the road.
"They pulled over to the side of the road where there was a bomb shelter and a public above ground bomb shelter and a bunch of other cars with party goers pulled over and they all went running from their cars into this bomb shelter… there were roughly 30 people sort of smashed inside this cement structure," she told CBS News.
Soon afterwards, Rachel Polin said, those inside heard gunfire outside the shelter which was quickly followed by members of Hamas coming to the open doorway of the structure and lobbing hand grenades inside, killing many — including Hersh's best friend.
"Then it got very quiet because, you know, everyone was wounded or was, dead or, you know, incapacitated and then the terrorists walked in a few minutes later," Polin's mother said, citing the survivor witness accounts of those she spoke to.
"The terrorists came inside with their guns and they said 'everyone who can stand, get up and come out with us, or we're gonna kill you," she said.
The grenade attack from militants had blown off Hersh's arm but he was alive and able to stand up and follow the militants out of the shelter, she said.
Goldberg-Polin managed to use his experience as a medic to tourniquet his arm, witnesses who were with him told his mother.
Rachel Polin says that she believes an image that she saw circulating on social media appears to show Goldberg-Polin in the bomb shelter prior to the grenade attacks.
"We were desperately trying to find out where he was and someone posted a picture on social media from the back of that bomb shelter going toward the door. And we could see on the left leaning against the wall, we could see that it was Hersh," she said.
Witnesses, some of whom escaped by playing dead, said that Hersh "wasn't screaming, he wasn't yelling, he was, you know, very calm and conscious and he got up," according to Rachel Polin.
Five or six of those who left with Hamas "were put on the back of a pickup truck," including Hersh, Rachel Polin told CBS News.
"The last known location when tracking his phone was at the border of Gaza," she said.
"We know that he is critically injured and being held hostage and that's what we know," she added.
- In:
- Palestine
- Terrorism
- Hostage Situation
- Hamas
- Israel
- Palestinians
- Gaza Strip
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
- State Department announces plan to fly Americans out of Israel
- France has banned pro-Palestinian protests and vowed to protect Jews from resurgent antisemitism
- Nearly 500,000 Little Sleepies baby bibs and blankets recalled due to potential choking hazard
- Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
- 15 Easy Halloween Costume Ideas Under $25 That Require Only 1 Item
- Rudolph Isley, a founding member of the Isley Brothers, has died at 84
- Kaiser Permanente reaches a tentative deal with health care worker unions after a recent strike
- Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
- Republican challenger uses forum to try to nationalize Kentucky governor’s race
Ranking
- The Best Gifts for People Who Don’t Want Anything
- The approved multistate wind-power transmission line will increase energy capacity for Missouri
- 7 elementary school students injured after North Carolina school bus veers off highway, hits building
- Taylor Swift's Sweet Moment With Brittany Mahomes at Kansas City Chiefs Game Hits Different
- Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All
- New Hampshire man pleads guilty to making threatening call to U.S. House member
- New York man charged with smuggling $200,000 worth of dead bugs, butterflies
- Illinois has more teachers with greater diversity, but shortages remain
Recommendation
-
Michael Grimm, former House member convicted of tax fraud, is paralyzed in fall from horse
-
What is a strong El Nino, and what weather could it bring to the U.S. this winter?
-
Arkansas lawmakers OK plan to audit purchase of $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
-
How long does retirement last? Most American men don't seem to know
-
4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
-
Timeline: The long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
-
Israel's 'Ground Zero:' More than 100 civilians killed at the Be'eri Kibbutz
-
New study: Disability and income prevent Black Americans from aging at home