Covert operation: Israeli Special Forces Capture Key Terrorist Linked to Lt. Hadar Goldin’s Burial

In a significant intelligence-based operation, Israeli special forces, supported by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), successfully arrested a key terrorist in the Gaza Strip believed to hold critical information regarding the burial site of abducted IDF officer Lieutenant Hadar Goldin z"l.

The terrorist, identified as Marwan al-Hams, was apprehended in a complex and highly sensitive raid in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip in July 2025. Al-Hams, described as a doctor in the original reporting, was the last known person with direct knowledge of Goldin’s burial location.

Deceptive Raid and Intelligence Triumph

The operation, led by forces from the Southern Command and supported by the Shin Bet and IDF Intelligence, involved a deceptive maneuver to ensure the special forces could operate undetected. While Hamas terrorists were distracted, believing the IDF was carrying out a routine strike on a compound of buildings, the special unit entered the city, apprehended al-Hams, and quickly extracted him to Israel for interrogation.

The operation was part of dozens of classified missions carried out over a six-month period, all aimed at locating and bringing Lt. Goldin home for burial in Israel. Security officials widely commended the Shin Bet for the precise intelligence gathering and operational planning that ensured the mission's success.

Key Role in Goldin’s Fate

Marwan al-Hams was involved in determining Lt. Goldin’s death during the 2014 war in Rafah and is suspected of knowing the burial location inside the so-called “White-Crowned” tunnel, where Goldin was taken after being abducted by Hamas terrorists.

Security officials noted that al-Hams played a direct role in battlefield decisions at the time of the abduction and was considered a key figure in the events that unfolded inside the tunnel. The intelligence gathered throughout the prolonged operation in Rafah eventually led to his successful apprehension, marking a major development in the ongoing mission to return the fallen officer.

Strategic Impact and Tunnel Discovery

Security officials believe the surprise arrest of al-Hams was a major factor in the Hamas terrorist organization’s decision to transfer Goldin’s body to Israel. The terrorist group was reportedly concerned that the precise information held by the captured individual could lead Israeli forces directly to the body before Hamas could use the remains as leverage in future negotiations.

The announcement of al-Hams's capture comes on the same day the IDF announced the discovery of the elaborate, over 7-kilometer-long tunnel system in Southern Rafah where Lieutenant Goldin was held in the years following his abduction. Forces from the Yahalom Unit and Flotilla 13 uncovered the significant subterranean network, which ran beneath crowded civilian areas, including UNRWA compounds, mosques, clinics, and schools.