Hersh Goldberg-Polin was curious, self-assured and a deep, independent thinker, his dad, Jon Polin, said at his funeral on Monday.
The 23-year-old, who was found dead in Gaza this weekend, was "always seeking to understand the other, and always with dignity and respect," Polin said.
6:02
'We failed you,' says dad of slain American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was curious, self-assured and a deep, independent thinker, his dad, Jon Polin, said at his funeral on Monday.
"Hersh, we failed you. We all failed you,” Polin said with a "332" on his shirt, marking how many days his son was held hostage. "You would not have failed you. You would’ve pushed harder for justice … to bridge differences. … What you would be pushing for now is to ensure your death … [and the others’ deaths are] not in vain."
Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose body was recovered with five other hostages in Gaza, walk with his sisters Orly and Leebie during his funeral in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024.
Gil Cohen-magen/via Reuters
"Maybe, just maybe, your death ... is the fuel that will bring home the remaining 101 hostages," Polin said.
"You have become a global symbol of bringing improvement to our world," he said.
"The 23 years of life that we had with you were a blessing. We now will work to make your legacy a similar blessing," he said.
8:31 AM EDT
Funeral underway for slain American hostage
A funeral procession is underway in Jerusalem for slain Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The 23-year-old was one of six murdered hostages recovered this weekend.
The Israeli Ministry of Health said the six hostages were killed “in a number of short-range shots” between Thursday and Friday morning.
People pay their respects on the street on the day of the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six Israeli hostages whose body was recovered from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
The funeral comes one day after thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the deaths of the six hostages.
6:17 AM EDT
Tel Aviv braces for fresh protests
More than 1,000 people have gathered in the northern Israeli city of Tel Aviv for continued anti-government protests, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.
Other marches are taking place elsewhere in Israel. A general strike -- called by Histadrut, Israel's largest trade union -- also began on Monday morning in protest of the government's failure to free those still held hostage inside Gaza.
Police reported violent clashes with anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, saying officers had arrested 29 people.
The current wave of demonstrations was sparked by the recovery of the bodies of six of Hamas' hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and David Brennan
4:50 AM EDT
Israel Police accuses Tel Aviv marchers of 'brutal' vandalism, violence
The Israel Police has condemned what it called "brutal vandalism" during a night of anti-government demonstrations in Tel Aviv, sparked by the deaths in captivity of six of Hamas' Gaza hostages.
In a statement, the Police Spokesperson's Unit said officers arrested 29 suspects for a range of offenses including disorderly conduct, assaulting officers and vandalism.
Protesters set wooden pallets on fire as they block Tel Aviv's Ayalon highway during an anti-government rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since October, on September 1, 2024, after Israel announced its troops had found six dead hostages in a Gaza tunnel.
Oren Ziv/AFP via Getty Images
The violence followed a planned protest at the Kaplan Junction in Tel Aviv, the statement said, after which "hundreds of protesters" left the approved demonstration area and moved to the Ayalon Highway, "with the intent to disrupt traffic and public order."
Some marchers "violently pushed against barricades and officers, leading to a confrontation during which a policewoman was injured and lost consciousness," the statement said. The officer was evacuated for medical treatment.
As officers attempted to clear the area, some protesters "breached security perimeters, blocked the Ayalon Highway, and set fires, while firing fireworks that nearly hit officers," police said.
"The Israel Police strongly condemns the acts of vandalism and violence directed at officers," the statement read. "We will pursue legal action against those responsible to the fullest extent of the law."
The protesters were demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government agree to a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas.
A general strike called by Israel's largest trade union -- Histadrut -- began on Monday morning in a bid to pressure the government into reaching an accord with the militant group.
