BREAKING: Body of Fallen Lt. Hadar Goldin Has Been Returned to Israel After 11 Years

After a recent location update in a Rafah tunnel, the Hamas terrorist organization announced today it would be transferring the body of fallen soldier, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, to Israel. The IDF has confirmed that a casket containing the remains of a deceased hostage has crossed into Israeli territory and is en route to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for formal identification.

However, amidst the long-awaited emotional moment for the Goldin family, a major political and security hurdle has emerged: Israeli intelligence assesses that Hamas, with the help of mediators, is attempting to leverage the return of Goldin's body into a deal that would secure the release of approximately 150 Hamas terrorists currently barricaded in tunnels beneath Rafah.

The Chief of Staff's Stance and the Three Options

The issue of the 150 terrorists, who are believed to be running low on food and water, is a major point of contention. The situation presents three clear options:

The assessment that Hamas is trying to tie Goldin's return to the release of these terrorists aligns with the Chief of Staff's previously stated position: "No terrorist will leave Rafah alive. I am willing to consider the release of terrorists only on one condition, the return of Hadar Goldin."

A Long-Awaited Return

Lt. Hadar Goldin, an officer in the Givati reconnaissance unit, was tragically killed and his body seized by Hamas on August 1, 2014, in the midst of Operation Protective Edge. The attack violated an agreed-upon 72-hour ceasefire. Goldin, along with his commander Major Benaya Sarel and Staff Sergeant Liel Gidoni, was killed by terrorists emerging from a tunnel in the Rafah area, and his body was dragged into the tunnel. Goldin was 23 and engaged at the time of his death.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the anticipated return at the start of today's cabinet meeting: "We are scheduled to receive the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin this afternoon... His body was kidnapped by Hamas, who refused to return him all this time. We made a great effort during all these years in Israeli governments to bring him back... Now his family will be able to bring him back to an Israeli grave."

The family, who had been tirelessly fighting for his return for over a decade, released a statement saying they are "waiting for the news with official confirmation" and affirmed, "We never give up on anyone in this country."

Handover and Identification Process

The casket was transferred by Hamas to the Red Cross, which then delivered it to Israeli authorities, including IDF and Shin Bet forces, inside the Gaza Strip. The transfer included a brief military ceremony led by the IDF Chief Military Rabbi, Brigadier General Eyal Karim. The casket is now at the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where a full identification process, including forensic and death investigation, will take place. Only after this official identification is complete will the Goldin family receive formal notification.

In a poignant detail, the family was previously given Hadar Goldin's military weapon, which had been recovered by the IDF during the elimination of Muhammad Sinwar, and which had been infamously displayed by Yahya Sinwar in Gaza City ten months before the October 7 massacre.

Meanwhile, Hamas claimed today that Israel "bears full responsibility" for the fighting in Rafah and demanded that mediating countries find a solution to guarantee the continued ceasefire, prevent "flimsy excuses" for its violation, and stop harm to "innocent civilians."

UPDATE: After 11 years, fallen hostage Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, may his memory be a blessing has been identified at the Forensic Medicine Institute. A day after Hamas reported locating Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who fell during Operation Protective Edge and was abducted, Goldin was identified at the Forensic Medicine Institute. The Hostage Families Headquarters stated: "Hadar fell and was abducted over 11 years ago, during a humanitarian ceasefire in Operation Protective Edge, in a heroic battle defending the homeland. Since then, Hadar was held captive by Hamas for 4,118 nights and days in which his family never ceased for a moment in their struggle to bring him home."

The IDF spokesperson announced: "Following the completion of the identification process by the National Center for Forensic Medicine in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family of the hostage Lieutenant Hadar Goldin that their loved one has been returned for burial. Lieutenant Hadar Goldin fell in battle during Operation Protective Edge, during the violation of the ceasefire in Rafah on August 1, 2014, and was abducted by the Hamas terror organization. Hadar, aged 23 at his fall, left behind parents, a sister, two brothers, and a fiancée. The efforts to return him combined extensive intelligence work alongside operational activities in the field, led by the IDF and the Shin Bet, and continued throughout the past decade with increased intensity during the war." The IDF shares in the family's grief, continues to invest all efforts in returning the fallen hostages, and is prepared to continue implementing the agreement. Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make all necessary efforts to return the fallen hostages to their families for proper burial.