Israel stated Sunday that Hamas has transferred remains thought to be those of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier who was killed in 2014 and whose body was held as a bargaining chip for more than 4,000 days.
Goldin was a lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Givati Brigade when he was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, two hours after a 72-hour ceasefire went into effect, ending that year’s conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“This afternoon, we are scheduled to receive the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a government meeting earlier Sunday. “We have a legacy from the establishment of the state – from the War of Independence to the War of Redemption – of returning our soldiers who fell in battle, and we are fulfilling that legacy.”
Hamas announced that on Saturday, it discovered Goldin’s body in a tunnel in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, and would return the body Sunday afternoon local time.
HAMAS HANDS OVER REMAINS OF HOSTAGE WHOSE BODY WAS RECOVERED NEARLY 2 YEARS AGO
Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday that Israel received a coffin from the Red Cross within the Gaza Strip. According to his office, the remains must still undergo a formal identification process by the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine, after which the family will be notified.
Goldin’s body was held in Gaza for 4,118 days. The Hamas terror group is expected to return the remains of all its hostages as part of the U.S.-brokered peace agreement, with the majority having been taken during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
Goldin’s parents dedicated 11 years to leading a campaign to bring their son home for burial.
ISRAEL RECEIVES 2 MORE HOSTAGE COFFINS FROM GAZA THROUGH RED CROSS OPERATION AS IDENTIFICATION BEGINS
“Those who abandon the dead will abandon the wounded and the living,” Goldin’s family has repeated over the years.
Israel initially believed Goldin was kidnapped and held captive but later determined that the soldier had been killed after discovering evidence – including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes – in a tunnel where Goldin had been taken.
Hamas has released the remains of 23 hostages since the ceasefire began last month. Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage returned.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, during which 251 people were kidnapped and 1,200 people were killed in Israel, the majority of whom were civilians.
Earlier this year, the Israeli military recovered the body of another soldier killed in the 2014 war.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
