President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the murder in Gaza of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen who was among the 251 people abducted from Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
In a statement released immediately after the Goldberg-Polin family confirmed Hersh’s death, Biden said he would continue to press “around the clock” for a ceasefire deal that would result in the release of the remaining hostages. There are now fewer than 100 hostages in Gaza, of whom dozens are known to be dead.
Biden, whose personal history of loss has gained him a reputation as “consoler-in-chief,” also noted that he had gotten to know Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, through the ordeal and was mourning with them. Here is his complete statement:
Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas. We have now confirmed that one of the hostages killed by these vicious Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
I am devastated and outraged. 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.
I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. 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 know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will.
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. 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.
Since the release of more than 100 hostages in a temporary ceasefire in November, Goldberg-Polin was one of eight hostages with U.S. citizenship, of whom three were previously known to be dead.
Less than two weeks after Oct. 7, Rachel Goldberg was on a Zoom meeting with Biden and other American family members of Israeli hostages when another participant learned that her daughter had actually been killed. She recalled in a Times of Israel interview how Biden reacted.
“What was really amazing is he wiped his eyes and he said, ‘I’m telling you right now, I have lost two children, and I know right now you’re in unimaginable agony, but one day you are going to need to be strong for the rest of your family. So scream. And you can scream to me as much as you want, and if you need me to, I’ll call you tomorrow. And you can keep screaming at me, but you’re going to need to allow yourself to be there for your family.'”
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