23-Year-Old American Missing After Sending Heartfelt Messages During Hamas Attack On Israeli Music Festival

A 23-year-old American-Israeli man is currently missing following an attack by Hamas on a music festival in southern Israel. During a surprise assault on Israel, the Hamas group stormed the music festival and opened fire. Hersh Golberg-Polin had been attending the festival to celebrate his birthday but hasn’t been in contact since Saturday morning. He sent heartfelt messages to his parents, expressing love and apologies before going out of reach, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.

His father, Jonathon Polin, spoke to the outlet, expressing his family’s deep concern for his son’s safety and longing for his return, saying, “We love you. Come home to us.” According to information from the New York Post, the 23-year-old had been celebrating his release from Army service, which concluded at the end of April. Mr. Polin had served in the 7th Armored Brigade, initially as a tank driver, and later trained as a medic.

Hersh Golberg-Polin had been employed as both a medic and a waiter, striving to save money to fulfill his long-time dream of visiting India, as his father revealed to The Jerusalem Post.

This is Hersh Golberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American-Israeli who was at the desert music festival attacked by Hamas.

His parents are anxiously searching for him. On Saturday morning they received 2 short messages from their son saying: “I love you” and “I’m sorry.” They haven’t… pic.twitter.com/5OAZSU0ULD

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 8, 2023

In a separate incident, distressing footage emerged online, depicting the kidnapping of a 25-year-old woman, Noa Argamani, from a peace festival by Hamas fighters. The video showed Noa pleading for her life while seated on the back of a fighter’s motorcycle.

The Nature Party near Kibbutz Re’im, near Gaza, attracted thousands of young attendees and became one of the initial targets of Palestinian gunmen who crossed into Israel early on Saturday. This marked one of the largest attacks on Israel in decades, resulting in widespread panic among partygoers as rocket fire erupted.

Tragically, reports indicated that at least 700 Israelis lost their lives in the attack, with dozens more abducted into Gaza. This incident has deeply shocked a nation that had long taken pride in its highly efficient military and security services, as per Reuters. Israeli media reported that at the Nature Party alone, emergency services had to handle the collection of 260 bodies.