Tel Aviv, Israel

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The mother of a man held captive by Hamas for seven months shared a heartwrenching message on Mother's Day as she showed the world the dark side of the special day which was devoid of flower bouquets and gifts. 

The mother of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, posted a video on Mother’s Day in which she read a letter written by her on the eve of the third birthday of Hersh and thanked her son “for making me a mother".

“Because today is Mother’s Day, I decided to read you this letter that I wrote to Hersh the night before he turned 3 years old,” said Rachel, before reading the letter.

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On her shirt, the mother wore a piece of tape which had the number "219" - which represented the number of days since her Israeli-American son had been held as hostage after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

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“Hersh, these last three years have been the most challenging and best years of my life. Nothing can begin to describe my love for you," the mother read from the letter.

The mother emphasised how she became emotional after looking inside her son's bedroom at night, as he slept in his blue onesie while holding onto a teddy bear as a kid.

“I gently touched your long, soft, curly hair that we will cut for the first time in a few days. I went back into my room and I cried and cried," said the mother.

'Painful' yet 'amazing' to see son alive: Mother

A propaganda video was published by Hamas last month which depicted a nearly unrecognisable Hersh. This was his first image since the deadly massacre. 

Rachel remembered how “painful” yet “amazing” it was to see her son alive for the first time since the incident. He appeared unrecognisable and a part of his left arm was missing.

“One day when you have children, and I can’t even fathom that now, you will know this kind of so much more than love,” said Rachel.

“You are my baby. My ultimate goal as a parent is to help you become a confident, self-sufficient and independent person. But that means you won’t need me. And I think that is what’s causing my heart to ache so much right now. I want to raise you to become a healthy person in the world," said the mother.

Watch: Israel-Hamas war: 'Death or displacement', Gazans in Rafah head to Al-Mawasi

Rachel, who was ranked among “Time100: The World’s Most Influential People,” said, “I don’t want to let you go.”

"Time moves so quickly. To understand this, one only needs to look at one’s children. The days fly by and before I know it, we will be taking you to college. I can’t imagine what a basketcase I will be then," the mother read.

“I wish this could all go more slowly. I treasure each and every moment I spend with you. I am so blessed that it scares me. What did Dada and I do to get so lucky to have you?" she added.

She ended the letter and the video with the words, “Hersh, thank you for making me a mother. I love you. Stay strong. Survive.” 

(With inputs from agencies)