TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Sunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014, closing a painful chapter for the country.
The 23-year-old was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in that year’s war between Israel and Hamas. Goldin’s family waged a public campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains. Earlier this year, they marked 4,000 days since his body was taken.
Israel’s military had long determined that he had been killed, based on evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. His remains had been the only ones left in Gaza predating the current war between Israel and Hamas.
The remains of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the current war, are still in Gaza.
The return of Goldin’s remains were a significant development in the U.S.-brokered truce, which has faltered during the slow return of bodies of hostages and skirmishes between Israeli troops and militants in Gaza.
Dozens of people gathered along intersections where the police convoy carried the remains to the national forensic institute, paying last respects.
Many more gathered later outside the home of Goldin’s parents, who noted the “many disappointments” in their efforts over the years and said that Israel’s military and “not anyone else” had brought home their son — apparent criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu told the weekly Cabinet meeting that holding the body for so long caused “ …