Hirsch Goldberg-Polin, a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, was kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7, known as Black Saturday. The Kan-11 television channel reported that a video of the hostage was released by the terrorist group as part of “psychological warfare” and was received by the White House and the FBI.

The video is currently being studied by a group of experts at the Federal Bureau of Investigation who specialize in hostage situations. They are analyzing the footage to extract any information that may be helpful in the future. A source from the White House confirmed that they received the video two days prior to the report.

The video released by Hamas is the first evidence that Hirsch is alive after being seriously wounded during the abduction. It is unknown when the video was filmed, but Hirsch mentions that “members of the Israeli government are now sitting at the holiday table,” implying it was recorded on the eve of Passover. In the video, Hirsch’s left arm is missing below the elbow due to the injuries he sustained during the kidnapping.

Hirsch, born in California in 2000 to parents Jonathan and Rachel who now reside in Jerusalem, shares details about his captivity in the video. He mentions being held for “almost 200 days” and describes failed attempts at securing his release. The hostage also repeats Hamas’ claims that Israeli airstrikes have killed dozens of hostages like him and accuses the Israeli government of refusing to negotiate for his release.

The family of the hostage allowed Israeli television channels to show parts of the video. Rachel Goldberg-Pauline, Hirsch’s mother who was named one of Time magazine’s Top 100 most influential people in 2023, expressed hope that her son would return home soon. She stated, “We have to hope, I believe and I have to believe, that he will return to us.”