After 11 Years, Israel Recovers Body of Soldier Held by Hamas Since 2014

JERUSALEM – Israel has confirmed that the body returned by Hamas over the weekend belongs to Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier who was killed and captured in Gaza in 2014, ending an 11-year national and personal ordeal for his family.

The remains were handed over to Israeli authorities as part of the U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas, marking the first return of a pre-war captive’s body since the current conflict began. Hamas said the soldier’s body was discovered in a tunnel in Rafah, near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

Goldin was killed on August 1, 2014, just two hours after a ceasefire was declared to end the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas. His remains were held in Gaza ever since, becoming a symbol of loss and resilience for many Israelis.

“The government and the entire Israel Defense Forces are determined and committed to bringing every one of our fallen heroes home,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Sunday.

The remains have been transferred to Israel’s National Forensic Institute, where officials confirmed the identity before informing Goldin’s parents.

For years, Goldin’s family led a tireless campaign for his return, alongside the relatives of Sergeant Oron Shaul, another soldier killed in the same conflict. Shaul’s remains were recovered earlier this year, providing a measure of closure for his family as well.

Israeli officials described the repatriation as a humanitarian step within the fragile ceasefire framework, though they emphasized that it would not lead to further negotiations with Hamas.

Government minister Gila Gamliel told Army Radio that Israel “will not reopen the agreement or allow manipulation by those seeking to delay its implementation.”

Hamas, meanwhile, was reportedly using Goldin’s body as leverage in talks for safe passage for dozens of its militants trapped in Rafah — a claim Israeli officials have not confirmed.

The return of Goldin’s remains closes one of Israel’s most painful chapters in recent memory, bringing long-awaited peace to a family that has waited over a decade to lay their son to rest.