Palestinian militant group Hamas said Sunday that it had handed over the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza 11 years ago.
The group is required under the US-brokered ceasefire deal to pass the remains of 28 hostages to Israel. After the most recent handover, four bodies remain in Gaza.
What do we know?
Hamas said the body of soldier Hadar Goldin, who was 23 when he was abducted during a humanitarian ceasefire in the 2014 Gaza war, was transferred to the Red Cross.
The coffin was later met by Israeli troops in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
“Lieutenant Hadar Goldin fell in heroic combat during Operation Protective Edge” in 2014, Netanyahu said at Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. “His body was abducted by Hamas, which refused to return him throughout this entire period.”
Who was Hadar Goldin?
When he was killed, Goldin was part of an Israeli unit tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels. His body had been held in the Palestinian territory ever since.
Goldin’s remains were found in a tunnel in Rafah the day before, Hamas’ armed wing said earlier.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that forensics had confirmed that the remains are Goldin’s.
He became the 24th dead hostage whose remains have been returned by Hamas since the start of the ceasefire on October 10 in the latest war in Gaza.
Israel denies secret deal with Hamas
Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, previously reported that Hamas had held up the release of Goldin’s body to try to negotiate safe passage for more than 100 militants surrounded by Israeli forces and trapped in Rafah. Israel denied that any deal had taken place.
Goldin’s family led a public campaign, along with the family of another soldier taken in 2014, to bring their sons home for burial. Israel recovered the remains of the other soldier, Oron Shaul, earlier this year.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to the family on X, saying: “The people of Israel embrace Hadar’s family today with deep love and boundless admiration for their unwavering strength and relentless, tireless struggle to bring Hadar home.”
The latest Gaza war started with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
It killed nearly 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and 251 were kidnapped and taken into Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry now reports that at least 69,176 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, while many expert estimates put the toll much higher.
Israel says 479 of its soldiers have died since the ground offensive began in late October 2023.
The Gaza ceasefire, in effect since October 10, remains fragile, but is holding, despite repeated Israeli strikes and mutual violations blamed on both sides.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
