'Stay strong, survive'

Parents’ message after Hamas release footage of hostage son

- Mark Reynolds

THE distraught parents of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza have urged him to "stay strong" and "survive" after Hamas released a video showing he is still alive.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, is seen without his lower left arm in the short clip after it was apparently blown off during the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel.

The video is undated, but he says he has been held for almost 200 days.

In the film, which was posted on Hamas's Telegram account, Hersh said he needed medical help before being critical of the Israeli government's attempts to negotiate the return of himself and other hostages.

He says he is "fighting for my life with serious wounds all over my body" and stresses that he needs urgent attention.