President Joe Biden condemned the killing of an Israeli-American citizen who Hamas reportedly murdered during an attempted rescue operation involving him and five others in a tunnel under Rafah in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Force said Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five others were awaiting rescue for nearly 11 months since they were captured in the Hamas terror attacks that killed 1,200 civilians in Israel last Oct. 7. CBS News reported: “Israel Defense Forces in a statement identified the other recovered hostages as Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino. The military said all six had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces.”
Biden noted in a statement released late Saturday:
Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas. We have now confirmed that one of the hostages killed by these vicious Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world. I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable.
They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will.
I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month about his captivity, Mediaite reported.
Biden hasn’t been seen much since he was essentially forced to end his reelection bid following his debate with former President Donald Trump in late June. In recent weeks, he’s been vacationing a lot, most recently in California and Delaware.
Biden and vice president, Kamala Harris, reportedly had disagreements about the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas conflict shortly after Hamas invaded Israeli territory nearly a year ago.
“Harris has been telling colleagues in the administration that she wants the White House to show more concern publicly for the humanitarian damage in Gaza, where Israel is locked in a bloody and prolonged battle with Hamas, according to three people familiar with Harris’ comments,” Politico reported.
One person “close to the vice president’s office” claimed that Harris wants the U.S. to be “tougher” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The vice president has reportedly asked that the U.S. government be “more forceful at seeking a long-term peace and two-state solution,” per Politico’s source.
According to Kirsten Allen, who is Harris’ press secretary, “there is no daylight between the president and the vice president, nor has there been.”
Allen claims that Biden and Harris do not have different views on the Israel-Hamas conflict and that the president and vice president “have been clear: Israel has a right and responsibility to defend itself; humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow into Gaza; innocent civilians must be protected; and the United States remains committed to a two-state solution.”
“I would caution the media about citing anonymous sources in the ‘orbit’ about sensitive national security conversations between the president and vice president that take place in the Oval Office,” Allen said.
