Jerusalem: Israeli forces received the remains of Hadar Goldin, the soldier Hamas had held since the 2014 Gaza war, from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza on Sunday. The remains of the Israeli soldier held by Hamas since 2014 ended an 11-year wait for closure for his family.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that officials moved the remains to Israel’s national forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the body “appears to be that of Lt. Hadar Goldin,” who died during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
At his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, “For 11 years, successive Israeli governments worked tirelessly to bring Hadar home. His family faced deep anguish, and now, they can finally lay him to rest on Israeli soil.”
The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said they found the body inside a tunnel in Rafah’s Yebna refugee camp in southern Gaza, an area under Israeli control. This operation marked the first recovery in Rafah since the October 10 ceasefire began.
Hamas accused Israel of triggering clashes in Rafah and urged mediators to protect the ceasefire. The group said it needs more personnel and equipment to recover the remaining bodies.
Hamas had earlier returned the remains of 23 hostages to Israel. If the current remains belong to Goldin, four bodies three Israeli and one Thai national still remain in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, attacks.
Gaza health authorities said Israel returned around 300 Palestinian bodies, many still unidentified. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli strikes and demolitions continue in Gaza, bringing the death toll since October 2023 to more than 69,000.
–IANS
