Israel Recovers Remains of Soldier Hadar Goldin After 11-Year Struggle Following 2014 Gaza War

Leah Goldin, the mother of Israeli soldier Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, holds up a picture of her son.

Tel Aviv, Israel:

Israel confirmed Sunday it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in Gaza in 2014, bringing closure to a painful chapter that spanned more than a decade.

The 23-year-old lieutenant was killed just two hours after a ceasefire took effect during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. For 11 years, Goldin's family conducted a public campaign to recover his remains, marking 4,000 days earlier this year since his body was taken.

Israeli military officials had previously determined Goldin's death based on evidence recovered from the tunnel where his body was taken, including his blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. His remains were the only ones in Gaza dating before the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The remains of four hostages captured during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the current war, still remain in Gaza.

Goldin's return represents a significant development in the US-brokered truce, which has faced challenges amid the slow recovery of hostages' remains and ongoing skirmishes between Israeli troops and Gaza militants.

Dozens of Israelis lined intersections as a police convoy transported the remains to the national forensic institute, paying their respects. Later, many more gathered outside the home of Goldin's parents, who acknowledged the "many disappointments" they faced throughout their years-long struggle.

His parents notably stated that Israel's military, "not anyone else," had brought their son home – an apparent critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet that holding Goldin's body for so long caused "great agony of his family, which will now be able to give him a Jewish burial." Earlier this year, Israel recovered the remains of another soldier killed in 2014, Oron Shaul.

Jared Kushner, former US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, has returned to Israel to help advance ceasefire efforts, according to a source speaking anonymously about the unannounced visit. Kushner, who served as a top Trump advisor, was instrumental in crafting Washington's 20-point ceasefire plan.

The ceasefire that began October 10 focused on halting hostilities, releasing hostages, and increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza. The second phase details, including deploying international security forces, disarming Hamas, and establishing postwar governance in Gaza, remain unresolved.

Kushner was reportedly helping negotiate safe passage for 150-200 surrounded Hamas militants in exchange for their weapons surrender following Goldin's remains release, according to someone close to the negotiations who spoke anonymously.

Israeli media had previously reported that Hamas delayed releasing Goldin's body while seeking safe passage for over 100 militants trapped by Israeli forces in Rafah.

Gila Gamliel, Israel's minister of innovation, science and technology and Netanyahu party member, told Army Radio that Israel wasn't negotiating "a deal within a deal."

"There are agreements whose implementation is guaranteed by the mediators, and we shouldn't allow anyone to come now and play (games) and to reopen the agreement," she stated.

Hamas made no comment regarding a potential exchange for fighters trapped in the Israeli-controlled "yellow zone," though they acknowledged ongoing clashes there.

The Goldin family had previously held what Leah Goldin called a "pseudo-funeral" at military rabbis' urging, but the uncertainty remained like a "knife constantly making new cuts."

In an earlier interview with The Associated Press, Leah Goldin explained that returning her son's body held profound ethical and religious significance and represented part of Israel's fundamental commitment to its citizens, who are legally required to serve in the military.

"Hadar is a soldier who went to combat and they abandoned him, and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well," she said. The family often felt isolated in their struggle to bring home Hadar – a talented artist who had recently become engaged – for proper burial.

Following the October 7 attack, the Goldin family tried helping hundreds of families whose loved ones were taken into Gaza. Initially, they found themselves marginalized as advocacy for the new hostages surged.

"We were a symbol of failure," Goldin recalled. "They told us, 'we aren't like you, our kids will come back soon.'"

For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel releases remains of 15 Palestinians. Ahmed Dheir, forensic medicine director at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported that 300 Palestinian remains have now been returned, with 89 identified.

Approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, with 251 people kidnapped.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported Saturday that Palestinian deaths in Gaza have reached 69,176. The ministry, operated by Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records generally considered reliable by independent experts.