Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

“Carefree” Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the most recognizable hostages left in Gaza, has been confirmed as one of the six captives whose bodies were recovered from the enclave on Saturday night.

The deaths have sparked new heartbreaking and horrifying sentiments for the hostage families, who fear time is running out for their loved ones captured by Hamas as pressure mounts on the Israeli government to reach a ceasefire deal.

In Jerusalem, banners and murals calling for Goldberg-Polin to come home are regularly seen. Rachel and Jonathan, Goldberg-Polin’s parents, also meet regularly with senior American officials in Washington to raise awareness of the hostages’ case.

Goldberg-Polin, then 23, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage.

A firsthand account from a young woman who was with him in a bunker when Hamas attacked said he helped throw grenades before his arm was blown off from the elbow down. The first evidence that he survived his capture came in a video Hamas released in April, which showed him missing part of his left arm, inches above his hand.

His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, told CNN in January that she wears a piece of tape marking each day since he was abducted by Hamas fighters. He is set to embark on a journey around the world, beginning on Dec. 27, 2023.

Read more about Hersh Goldberg-Polin here.