Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized to the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was found dead with five other hostages in Gaza, because Israel "failed" to bring him home alive.
"As a human being, as a father and as the president of the State of Israel, I want to say how sorry I am, how sorry I am that we didn't protect Hersh on that dark day, how sorry I am that we failed to bring him home," Herzog told the family of Goldberg-Polin at his funeral in Jerusalem on Monday, CNN reported.
In his eulogy Herzog addressed Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen: "I apologize in the name of Israel ... for failing to return you home in peace. I'm sorry the state you migrated to when you were 7 years old ... did not manage to keep you safe."
Israel said Goldberg-Polin and the other hostages were executed by Hamas militants shortly before their bodies were recovered in tunnels under Gaza on Sunday.
Herzog described Hamas as "monstrous killers," and said the murder of the hostages "proved there is no end to its cruelty."
Goldberg-Polin was among the hundreds of Israels kidnapped when Hamas invaded Israel last October.
Along with Goldberg-Polin's, the bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino were also recovered.
His mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, said she hopes the death of her son becomes a "turning point."
"I pray that your death will be a turning point in this horrible situation in which we are all entangled," she said in her eulogy, CNN reported.
She said the family worked relentlessly to get him released and became "absolutely certain" that he would be found safe."But it was not meant to be," she said.
"The hope that perhaps a deal was near was so authentic. It tasted close, but it was not to be so," the mother said, remarking on "the sickening feeling" all of the hostage families felt.
"I take such comfort knowing you were with Carmel, Ori, Eden, Almog and Alex," she said.
"From what I have been told, they each were delightful in very different ways, and I think that is how the six of you managed to stay alive in unimaginable circumstances for so very long. You, each and every single one of you, did every single thing right to survive 329 days in what I'm pretty sure can only be described as hell," said Rachel Goldberg-Polin.
