In a horrifying revelation, Rachel Golberg, the mother of a young American-Israeli hostage, disclosed that her son lost his arm during a brutal attack by Hamas terrorists at a desert rave.
Hersh Golberg-Polin, who recently turned 23, had to resort to creating his own tourniquet to survive the onslaught.
"Regrettably, eyewitness accounts indicate that Hersh's arm was severed from the elbow down," Rachel Golberg shared with CNN, discussing the last known situation of her son. "He had to apply a tourniquet to his own arm."
Golberg-Polin was among the attendees at an outdoor music event in northern Negev last Saturday when Hamas militants stormed the venue, indiscriminately firing at the crowd. Rachel explained that her son and other party-goers sought refuge in a bomb shelter as the attackers unleashed a barrage of grenades and gunfire.
"Hersh and a close friend attempted to retaliate by throwing grenades out of the bomb shelter," Rachel conveyed, citing eyewitness information. A young woman who found herself alongside Golberg-Polin in the shelter later informed his parents that the Berkeley, California-born man had comforted her during the terrifying ordeal.
Once the gunfire subsided and the assailants ordered anyone capable of walking to follow them, the woman feigned death. However, Golberg-Polin remained "very composed" and complied with the captors, his parents added.
As the death toll continues to rise, Golberg-Polin's family, which includes two younger sisters, oscillates between fear and hope, anxiously awaiting news about his whereabouts.
"I am confident that the American government and President Biden are working relentlessly to secure the release of these American civilians held hostage, and to ensure their well-being," Rachel expressed to CNN. "They are also committed to providing necessary care to this critically injured American civilian," she added.
The family's update followed the release of gruesome footage showing Hamas terrorists invading the music festival early Saturday, leaving a staggering 260 people dead.
Before losing contact, Golberg-Polin managed to send a text to his parents, expressing his love and apologizing. He was celebrating both his birthday and his recent discharge from mandatory military service, completed in April, his father, Jon Polin, informed the Jerusalem Post.
Since his discharge, Golberg-Polin had been working as a waiter and a medic, saving for a trip to India. The Jewish young man and his family immigrated to Israel in 2008, a process known as aliyah.
The family, originally from Richmond, Virginia, relocated to Jerusalem. As of Tuesday, the death toll in Israel has reached 900, with another 2,800 injured and at least 500 still hospitalized.
The timing of Hamas' unexpected attack coincided with Simchat Torah, a significant Jewish holiday marking the completion of the cycle of Torah readings, and the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.
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