U.S. President Joe Biden addressed on Sunday the IDF’s report confirming that six hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were murdered by Hamas terrorists and their bodies recovered by troops near Rafah. “I am devastated and outraged," he said. “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
“I am heartbroken by the news of his death,” Biden added. “Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world.”
The president also spoke about Hersh’s parents, Jon and Rachel, saying, “I have gotten to know his parents, they have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable. They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions.”
“I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible,” he said.
