INTERNACIONAL
Parents of American murdered by Hamas make ‘plea’ to Trump after latest hostage release
The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American kidnapped from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and murdered by Hamas terrorists after surviving 11 months in captivity, made a video plea to President Donald Trump after the latest hostage release.
In a video message shared on Instagram, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin reacted to the release of civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56. They were among the 250 people who were taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages were forced to speak during a Hamas handover ceremony, igniting outrage, as Israel in turn released nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.
«We received the wonderful news that Eli, Or and Ohad we released today,» Rachel Goldberg-Polin said in a video shared to the «Bring.Hersh.Home» account, which has garnered more than 173,000 followers. «We also felt this real connection to Or and his family because Or and Hersh were both kidnapped together from the same bomb shelter on the same pickup truck on Oct. 7. And in fact, Or’s brother, Mikha’el, contacted us right after Shabbat today to tell us that one of Or’s first questions he asked his brother this morning was ‘how is Hersh doing?’ Because he had assumed that Hersh had been released long ago, and his brother had to explain to him that Hersh had been murdered five months ago.»
Jon Polin then addressed Trump, as well as U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, imploring them to secure the release of the remaining 76 hostages this week.
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Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
«Seeing the condition of these three hostages, hearing that Or had no idea what happened to Hersh, that Eli was unaware of the fate of his wife and his daughters, is just a gut punch to all of us that we need to do more,» Jon Polin said. «And I’m turning directly to President Trump and to Mr. Witkoff, you have shown that you are the only ones who are able to get this situation moving, moving forward, and my plea to you, our plea to you right now is – now that you’ve done the hard part in getting movement, getting a deal started, let’s not think about Phase 1 and Phase 2 and Phase 3 in many months. Let’s think bigger and faster. All 76 hostages out this week. End of war. Who benefits from dragging it out for so long? Not the people of this region. Let’s get it done right now. Thank you.»
«Godspeed,» Rachel Goldberg-Polin added.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists last August shortly before Israeli troops reached the tunnel where they were being held in southern Gaza. Israeli troops recovered the six bodies from the tunnel, and Israeli forensic experts said they had been shot at close range after surviving nearly a year in captivity.
Israeli captive Or Levy, who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Goldberg-Polin, a native of Berkeley, California, was attending a music festival when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. He lost part of his left arm to a grenade blast during the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him speaking under duress with his left hand missing, sparking new protests in Israel.
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In their first hours as free men, the three Israeli hostages released on Saturday were beginning to confront the tragic realities to which they returned
Sharabi returned to Israel after 16 months of captivity. He was told only after his return that his wife and two daughters had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack, according to reports in Israeli media.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was murdered by Hamas. (Israel’s Minister of Defense)
Levy «was not sure» what happened to his wife on that day, his mother, Geula, told Israeli media on Saturday, adding that he was not exposed to media reports while in Gaza. Levy was taken from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival in southern Israel and his wife, Einav, was killed in the attack. His mother said he also asked about Goldberg-Polin, who was abducted from the same bomb shelter. Levy was reunited Saturday with his 3-year-old son.
A third released hostage, Ben Ami, sat huddled with his wife and three daughters in a hospital corridor. He told them: «I have a lot of things to catch up on.» Ben Ami is a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest hit communities on Oct. 7. «I need to get answers to a lot of things, and I know some of them will be difficult answers,» he said in footage released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. «I need to know what happened on that day.»
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It was the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the current Israel-Hamas ceasefire began on Jan. 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pope Francis is continuing to show improvement and remains stable as he approaches one month in the hospital following a bout with bronchitis turned pneumonia.
The 88-year-old had a «restful night,» the Holy See Press Office announced Thursday morning, which also marks the 12-year anniversary of his election to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
He is still receiving non-invasive mechanical ventilation treatments throughout the night and high-flow oxygen therapy during the day.
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Pope Francis’ health has taken a turn for the better this week as he continues to show improvement following a Monday update that listed him as «out of danger from death,» though he will remain hospitalized. (Tatan Syuflana/Pool/AFP/Getty)
On Wednesday, the pontiff spent time following spiritual exercises in the Vatican, receiving the Eucharist, praying and completing physical therapy.
It was noted that he did rest in the afternoon.
The statement said a chest X-ray on Tuesday confirmed improvements observed by medical staff in previous days, but his situation remains «complex,» thus resulting in more time in the hospital.
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Candles with pictures of Pope Francis were laid under the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome last month in support of the 88-year-old pontiff. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The Pope’s health has improved significantly this week as the Vatican announced on Monday that he is «out of danger from death.»
He has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Valentine’s Day after a week-long fight against bronchitis gradually worsened, ultimately turning into double pneumonia.
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Pope Francis was elected to his position 12 years ago on March 13, 2013. (AleVatican Pool/Getty Images)
His health became a major concern as he has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed when he was younger.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that Hamas sent a 4-year-old Palestinian boy to one of its outposts. The IDF says it returned the toddler to Gaza in coordination with international organizations.
«Hamas does not hesitate to use any means to cynically use and exploit civilians and children to advance its terrorism,» the IDF wrote on X.
The child allegedly told IDF soldiers that Hamas sent him, but Israel did not provide information on how the boy knew the terrorist organization sent him there.
The IDF says Hamas sent a 4-year-old boy toward a military outpost. (IDF)
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IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani condemned the incident in a post on X, saying that it demonstrated Hamas’ lack of care for civilians.
«Another reminder that Hamas doesn’t care about the people of Gaza and exploits them for terror,» Lt. Col. Shoshani wrote.
Israeli soldiers speak to a Palestinian child who was allegedly sent by Hamas towards their outpost. The child was returned to Gaza.
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During the Oct. 7 massacre, Hamas not only killed Israeli children, but took several as hostages. In November 2023, as part of a deal, Hamas released 30 children from captivity. The last two child hostages in Gaza were Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Their fate remained uncertain for months, until their deaths were confirmed in February 2025 when their bodies were returned to Israel.
«Kfir and Ariel were murdered in cold blood. The terrorists didn’t shoot them—they killed them with their bare hands. Then, they committed horrific acts to cover up their crimes,» IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said following the return of the Bibas children’s remains.
IDF forces are seen operating in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesman’s Office)
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Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon called on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to issue a condemnation of the incident involving the 4-year-old Palestinian child.
«Hamas has a genocidal animosity toward Israelis and equally doesn’t care for the people of Gaza. That’s why the terrorist organization uses babies, children and women as human shields and pawns in conflict. This is contemptible and should be roundly condemned by the United Nations secretary-general,» Ambassador Danon said.
Just last week, the U.N. was slammed over a draft of its report on children in combat zones that appeared to omit stories of Israeli victims.
Throughout the section of the report on Israeli and Palestinian children, there are instances of the U.N. conflicting verified and unverified data. Though the report admits that there is unverified data, it does not give any information on who was responsible for verifying the other figures. This lack of transparency left room to doubt the report’s accuracy.
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