Israel Receives Body of Soldier Held by Hamas Since 2014
After more than a decade, Israel has received the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in Gaza in 2014 whose remains had been held by Hamas ever since. Goldin was 23 when he died during an ambush in Rafah, just hours after a ceasefire took effect in the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. His body was dragged into a tunnel by militants and never recovered—until now.
The handover was part of the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, under which Hamas agreed to return 20 living hostages and the remains of 28 others. So far, Hamas has returned all 20 living hostages, and 24 of the 28 deceased. Since the 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken, the issue of hostages and remains has been central to ceasefire talks.
According to Israeli officials, retrieving Goldin’s remains required “extensive intelligence efforts, alongside operational activities on the ground.” The army said it will “continue to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages.” The group has claimed that locating bodies under Gaza’s rubble has delayed some transfers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We didn’t give up.” He added, “I know the agony that his family’s been through, I know the longing for his return that united the people of Israel and today we’re united in bringing him finally to his parents, to his family, to a grave in Israel.” President Isaac Herzog said both he and Netanyahu had kept Goldin’s photo in their offices for years. He promised Israel would “continue to act tirelessly” to bring home the remaining hostages.
Goldin’s father, Simcha, said, “Victory means bringing home the hostages and bringing home our soldiers to Israel.” His parents thanked the Israeli military, saying it was the army — “and not anyone else” — that brought their son home, in what some saw as a pointed criticism toward the government.
Goldin’s mother, Leah, had long criticized Israeli leaders for failing to do more. “Hadar is a soldier who went to combat and they abandoned him,” she said earlier this year, accusing officials of missing opportunities to recover his body, including one during the COVID-19 pandemic when, she claimed, “it was actually possible to bring back Hadar … in exchange for vaccines.”
As the soldier’s body arrived in Israel, people lined streets to watch the police convoy pass on its way to the forensic institute. Goldin will now be laid to rest after 11 years of uncertainty.
