Israel Buries Its Hostages as National Fury Boils Over

Thousands of mourners gathered in Jerusalem on Monday to pay their respects to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American who was among six hostages recently executed by Hamas.

Goldberg-Polin’s funeral, held at a cemetery in the Israeli capital, drew large crowds, many waving Israeli flags and dressed in the colors of his favorite soccer team. Mourners lined a major road as the procession made its way to the cemetery.

“We all failed you,” said Jon Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s father, in an emotional eulogy. “Maybe your death is the stone, the fuel, that will bring home the 101 other hostages.”

The family’s heart-wrenching farewell was a focal point of the ceremony, with his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, expressing both sorrow and relief that his excruciating ordeal has come to an end. “Finally, finally, finally, you are free!” she spoke to her son, whose image has been emblazoned on banners and posters in protests across Israel and around the world.

“Hersh. If there was something we could have done to save you, and we didn’t think of it, I beg your forgiveness. We tried so very hard, so deeply and desperately. I’m sorry,” his mother added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended the funeral and personally addressed the family, asking for forgiveness for “failing” to bring Hersh home alive.

In an address to the nation shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also asked Israelis, increasingly furious over the lack of a hostage deal, for their forgiveness as he laid out why Israel must maintain control over a vital corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border that has been a sticking point in the negotiations.

Hersh, a 23-year-old born in California and raised in Jerusalem, became one of the most high-profile faces of the hostage crisis largely due to his parents’ tireless campaigning on his behalf. They held an audience with the pope, traveled to the border of Gaza to shout his name, and even spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month in one of the defining moments of the week.

Hersh’s body, along with those of five other hostages, was discovered by the Israeli military in a tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza over the weekend. Three of the six found dead, including Goldberg-Polin, were reportedly scheduled to be released in the first phase of a cease-fire proposal discussed in July.

Since then, negotiations have failed to reach a deal. Hamas accuses Netanyahu of dragging out talks by issuing new demands, including for lasting Israeli control over two strategic corridors in Gaza.

Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the deaths of the six, saying: “Whoever murders hostages doesn’t want a deal.”

The news of their deaths sparked widespread fury and frustration among Israelis, leading to massive weekend protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that highlighted how fractured the country remains nearly 11 months since Oct. 7. Many Israelis blame their government for failing to secure a deal to bring the remaining hostages home.

The U.S. government also expressed dissatisfaction with the recent developments, with President Biden stating that Hersh’s parents have been “courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable.”

On Monday, President Biden went a step further, telling reporters at the White House that Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure the release of the hostages.

Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, then attended a meeting in the Situation Room with the hostage negotiation team.

After the news of the hostage murders broke on Saturday, several families of hostages pointed the finger at the Israeli prime minister and agreed with Biden that Netanyahu has not doon enough.

“He’s absolutely right,” said Adi and Yael Alexander, parents of Edan Alexander, an American member of the Israel Defense Forces who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7.

“It has to happen right now. Full stop. Period. Cease-fire and execution of the deal. More military pressure brings more dead hostages,” Adi told the New York Times.

As Netanyahu addressed the nation on Monday, the first time he has taken questions since the hostage deaths, protesters fanned out on the main roads of Tel Aviv as thousands of others walked off the job in a show of defiance over the slow pace of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Britain said it would suspend the export of some arms to Israel — a striking sign from Netanyahu’s Western allies that patience is wearing thin with the state of the war.

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