'We All Failed You.' Heartbreak At Funeral For Israeli-American Hostage In Jerusalem

An Israeli-American family that became an international symbol in the struggle to free hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza lay their son to rest on Monday.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli-American family that became an international symbol in the struggle to free hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza laid their son to rest on Monday after the discovery of his body and those of five others brought a fresh outpouring of grief.

Tens of thousands of people thronged a Jerusalem cemetery to pay their respects to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who became one of the most recognizable faces of the nearly year-old hostage crisis. Hundreds of others lined a major thoroughfare in Jerusalem, holding Israeli flags.

Many sobbed as his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, said goodbye to her son and told him, “My sweet boy, finally, finally, finally you are free!”

She and her husband, Jon, shared stories of their 23-year-old son, who they called funny, curious and relentless in the pursuit of justice. They said they hoped his death might be a turning point in drawn-out negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin said the past 330 days had been “such torment that closed my throat and made my soul burn with third-degree burns.” She told her son: “I no longer need to worry about you, you are no longer in danger.”