Israel Condemns Hamas for Withholding Hadar Goldin’s Body Despite Claimed Discovery in Rafah

Israel expressed sharp anger Sunday morning after Hamas refused to return the body of IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin, despite claiming yesterday that it had located his remains in a tunnel in Rafah. A senior political source said Israel views Hamas’s actions as “a grave violation of the agreement” and is demanding the body’s immediate handover.

According to the official, Hamas informed mediators that it had identified Goldin’s remains and initially agreed to transfer them on Saturday night in exchange for 15 dead terrorists. The exchange was part of a broader arrangement reached last week. However, the terror group has since backtracked, now insisting on holding a separate round of negotiations, which Israel says is unacceptable. 

The dispute erupted after the Qatari network Al-Jazeera aired video footage of what Hamas described as a “rescue operation” to retrieve the fallen soldier’s body from a tunnel complex in southern Gaza. Israeli defense officials assessed the footage and said there was reason to believe that the remains shown could indeed belong to Goldin, who has been held in Gaza for more than 11 years. Yet the IDF emphasized that a formal identification can only be made once the body is physically returned to Israel.

On Saturday night, shortly after Hamas’s announcement, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the Goldin family home to update them personally. “The Chief of Staff reaffirmed his commitment, and the army’s commitment, to bringing Hadar and all the fallen soldiers home,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said. “He emphasized the need for restraint in these sensitive hours until the return and verification are completed.”

The Goldin family, who have led a public campaign for more than a decade, issued a brief statement following Zamir’s visit. “A whole nation is waiting for Hadar to come home,” they said. “This is a mission that must and can be fulfilled for all of us. The Chief of Staff came to update us on the tremendous efforts being made, and we salute everyone involved. Until it’s final, it’s not over — we’re waiting for official confirmation.”

Goldin, an officer in the elite Givati Brigade, was killed on August 1, 2014, during a Hamas ambush in Rafah that broke a declared ceasefire in Operation Protective Edge. Militants emerged from a tunnel, killing three soldiers, including Goldin, before dragging Goldin’s body underground. The IDF immediately fired heavy artillery to block the kidnappers’ escape. After 72 hours of searching, remains found inside the tunnel allowed the army to determine that Goldin had been killed.

For 11 years and more than 4,100 days, his place of burial has remained unknown. Throughout that time, his parents, Leah and Simcha Goldin, have demanded that Israel condition any Gaza reconstruction or aid on the return of their son and other fallen soldiers held by Hamas. Their campaign became a symbol of Israel’s ongoing struggle to bring home both hostages and fallen troops.

Now, Israeli officials believe Hamas is trying to use Goldin’s body as a bargaining chip to secure the release of roughly 200 trapped terrorists still hiding in Rafah’s tunnel network. The terror organization has been pushing for their evacuation to territory inside the “Yellow Line” under its control. Israel has rejected all such proposals. “There will be no deal with these terrorists,” Chief of Staff Zamir told the Security Cabinet Thursday. “They will either be eliminated — or surrender and face interrogation at Sde Teiman in their underwear.”

As of Sunday morning, no further updates have been issued on the return of Goldin’s body, and it remains unclear when, or if, Hamas will comply with the agreement it signed.