The remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, the IDF officer killed and abducted by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza war, is enrout back to Israel, marking the end of an 11-year ordeal for his family and the nation.
Once in Israel, the remains will undergo DNA testing at the National Forensic Institute to confirm the soldier’s identity. In a statement, the IDF confirmed that Red Cross representatives had received the remains and were en route to Israel
On Saturday, Al Jazeera published footage of a body, purportedly belonging to Goldin, after its recovery from Rafah. Even after Goldin’s remains are returned, the bodies of four hostages will still remain unaccounted for, despite Hamas’ obligation to transfer all hostages to Israel by October 13th.
Nevertheless, the al-Qassam Brigades denied Sunday morning that it has failed to adhere to its obligations under the US-backed Gaza peace plan.
“The process of recovering bodies during the past phase took place under complex and extremely difficult circumstances,” Hamas said in a statement.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is expected to receive the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin later today, after Hamas announced it would hand over the remains of the IDF officer killed in Gaza in 2014.
Opening the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Goldin “fell in a heroic battle during Operation Protective Edge, 11 years ago. His body was abducted by Hamas, which refused to return it throughout this entire period. During all these years, we in the governments of Israel have made great efforts to bring him home. His family has endured deep anguish, and now they will be able to lay him to rest in the land of Israel.”
The prime minister vowed to continue efforts to recover the five remaining hostage bodies still held in Gaza, calling it part of Israel’s enduring legacy to bring back its fallen soldiers.
“Sometimes it takes a great deal of time,” Netanyahu noted, referring to the 1982 Sultan Yacoub battle in Lebanon, where five IDF soldiers were declared missing in action. “We have returned two of the soldiers who fell there, and there is still one more. This is a great obligation we carry, both to our soldiers and to our security forces.”
Source link
