This evening (Monday) the headquarters of the families of the abductees released the video of the kidnapping of Hirsch Goldberg Polin, Or Levy, and Elia Cohen on October 7th. They were kidnapped from what is called the “death shelter” because it is the shelter to which many young people fled from the Nova Party and it became one of the most notorious massacre sites on the seventh of October. The shelters protect people from rockets but not from terrorists. The video, which was published with the approval of the families, but was blurred in parts, was filmed by the cameras of Hamas terrorists and is 1:37 minutes long. In the first part of the video, you can see the moments of the three of them staying in the shelter, and in the second part, you can see their capture and putting them in a van while the terrorists are shouting “These are the dogs” and “Al-Qassam has taken over them”, and also “They want to take a selfie” while they explain to them where they are going them. Elia Cohen and Hirsch Goldberg Polin have previously appeared in a document published by Hamas, and according to an estimate it appears that the two were injured by a grenade thrown by the terrorists at the security guard. In the published video, Hirsch can be seen severely injured in his hand as he is forcefully led to the van of the terrorists. Regarding the third abductee, Or Levy, his family learned only after several months that he was kidnapped along with Hirsch and Elia, and in the documentation that came to the IDF in January, he was seen being forcibly taken by their side.
Sigi Cohen, the mother of the abducted Elia, said about the publication of the video: “We decided to publish the video to show the world what the abductees went through since the day of the kidnapping, we wanted to show the evil of the terrorists, and how inhumane they are. You can see Elia’s face full of fear. At first he is in the shelter, innocently waiting for them to come rescue him, and suddenly a grenade is thrown. The terrorists are seen singing and cheering, and leading the abductees to the van. He is so frightened, he does not understand what is happening around him.” She said about herself that she saw the video only ten days after the kidnapping, “I saw the moment when they took my child.”
Jon Polin, Hirsch’s father, said “I watched the video for the first time a week ago, Rachel (Hirsch’s mother) was unable to. We talked to the families of the other abductees who appeared in it and quickly agreed as a group that we were ready to release it. We They think it is so important, on the 262nd day, to show what they are going through – and remind the whole world that this is our son! We talk about abductees as an ‘idea’, but they are real people with dreams and families, with people who love them and wait for them “. He also added in his words: “We think about him and the other abductees 24/7, but not the whole world sits and thinks about the abductees all day. So if the video can inspire the decision makers in Israel and abroad, we are in favor.” In addition, the father shared that they did not know Speaking about their son’s health since the video posted by Hamas on the 201st day after his abduction, “He is in a tunnel somewhere, and you see that he lacks protein,” he said. “You see that his hand is amputated. There is something to worry about.”
Michael Levy, the brother of Or, the third kidnapped, said: “The first time I saw the video, my stomach flipped. To see Or’s face at the most difficult moment in his life, still with the blood of his wife Einav on his hands after she was murdered. I am the older brother, I protected him all his life – and suddenly seeing him so scared? I don’t wish anyone the feeling of helplessness I feel. His look in the video turned my stomach and shook my heart and hasn’t left my mind since able to see the video and she won’t see it either.”
Following the release of the video, President Yitzhak Herzog said: “In the terrifying moments recorded in the video of the kidnapping of Hersh Goldberg Polin, Or Levy and Elia Cohen – alongside the unbelievable courage they show, we also see the face of evil – in the form of Hamas terrorists who kidnapped, raped and murdered innocent civilians The world needs to see this cruelty, to cry out to the abductees who are barbarically held captive by Hamas, to take firm measures and to stand by Israel’s side demanding to act in any way for their release.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “The shocking video of the kidnapping of Hersh, Or and Elia tears all our hearts and emphasizes once again the cruelty of the enemy we swore to eliminate. We will not stop the war until we return all 120 of our loved ones home.”
