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Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin call for Oct. 7 hostages to return home in remarks at the DNC

Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg Polin who is being held hostage by Hamas, speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024.
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Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg Polin who is being held hostage by Hamas, speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024.

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.


Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, took to the podium at the DNC calling for a cease-fire deal so that the 109 remaining Hamas hostages can return home.

Polin and Goldberg have taken to wearing a piece of tape with the number of days their son has been held captive written in marker and placed on their chest. Today it read: 320.

Goldberg struggled to speak as the crowd chanted "Bring them home!"

She recounted how Goldberg-Polin, 23, was kidnapped while at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7 and lost an arm in the process. His parents have spent the months following that attack advocating for a deal to be reached and for the hostages to be returned home.

They reminded the emotional and silent crowd that Goldberg-Polin is one of a number of Americans still held hostage by Hamas.

Bringing the hostages home "is not a political issue, it is a humanitarian issue," Polin said. He said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are "working tirelessly" to reach a cease-fire deal that will bring the hostages home "and will stop the despair in Gaza."

The Israel-Hamas war is a major issue at the convention with pro-Palestinian protesters marching in Chicago this week demanding a cease-fire and that Biden end support for Israel. The latest round of cease-fire negotiations wrapped before the convention.

"There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict of the Middle East. In a competition of pain there are no winners," Polin said.

Watch their full remarks:


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Jaclyn Diaz is a reporter on Newshub.