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Funeral held for Israeli-American hostage
Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year when he attended the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel.
- Hamas released a propaganda video of Eden Yerushalmi, 24, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.
- The video was released on Monday night on the social media channels of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.
As six recovered Israeli hostages were buried Monday, Hamas released a propaganda video around the same time of one of the slain captives prior to her killing that appeared aimed at causing psychological harm for hostage families.
Hamas released a separate statement warning it would murder any remaining hostages Israel attempted to rescue.
The video of Eden Yerushalmi, 24, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, was released on Monday night on the social media channels of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.
It was not clear what Hamas’ calculation was in releasing the two-minute video, when the video was taken or under what circumstances. But it was shot at close range and includes Yerushalmi saying she misses her parents and two sisters. In the video Yerushalmi appears gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes. The video flashes back and forth between color and black and white.
At times, Yerushalmi is also animated in the video, pointing one finger at the camera as she accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning her and other hostages held in Gaza for the last 11 months.
The video appeared on the Telegram channel of Al-Qassam Brigades just hours after the funeral in Jerusalem of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, an Israeli American who immigrated to Israel from California when he was seven. The video’s release also followed a series of large-scale protests and a general strike in Israel over rising frustration and anger that Netanyahu has not secured a hostage deal with the militant group.
Goldberg-Polin’s body, along with that of Yerushalmi’s, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27, was recovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt on Sunday.
Yerushalmi, Danino, Lobanov, Gat and Sarusi were also laid to rest Monday.
Hamas released a separate video Monday featuring all six slain hostages indicating it would continue to publish additional videos in the coming days with the slain captives including, it claimed, with their “last messages.”
By definition, hostage videos are made under duress and can be considered a war crime.
The Hostage Families Forum, which for months has been pressuring Netanyahu’s government to agree to a cease-fire-and-hostage deal, described it as “shocking psychological terror.” It also released an edited 12-second clip of the video, authorized by Yerushalmi’s family, as well as statement from them addressing her.
“Our Eden, we love you too and we miss you like crazy. You are forever in our hearts.”
Yerushalmi was working as a bartender at the Nova music festival when Hamas attacked it.
According to her family, when sirens sounded on Oct. 7, she sent a video of rocket fire to her family group chat, saying she was leaving the area. She also called the police, describing the situation and pleading, “Find me, okay?”
Yerushalmi spoke to her sisters May and Shani on the phone for four hours as she tried to escape.
Her last words were, “Shani, they’ve caught me.”
