Hamas returns remains of Israeli officer that were held more than a decade
The militant group handed over the remains of an officer killed during 2014 fighting in Gaza, as part of the current cease-fire deal.
TEL AVIV—Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli army officer that were held by the militant group for more than a decade, authorities said, marking an emotional moment for the country and for his family, which had fought for years to bring his body home.
Hadar Goldin, 23 years old, was killed in action in Rafah in southern Gaza during the 2014 Gaza war, and his body taken by Hamas. His remains were handed over to Israel on Sunday as part of the current cease-fire deal, and forensic authorities confirmed his identity.
The return of Goldin’s body has symbolic value for Israel and closes a painful chapter for his family. Israel has held negotiations to bring back his remains for years without success.
“Hadar’s return provides some measure of comfort to a family that has lived with agonizing uncertainty and doubt for over 11 years," the Hostages Families Forum, an advocacy group, said.
The return of Goldin’s remains took some by surprise in Israel. Some Israeli officials had expected Hamas to hold on to them and other remains in an effort to retain leverage in its dealings with Israel.
Some analysts say that the handover is a sign the U.S.-designated terrorist group is interested in abiding by the cease-fire agreement, under which Hamas said it would return all living hostages and the bodies of deceased hostages in exchange for Israel’s releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Twenty living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 24 people who died in captivity or during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, have now been released by Hamas as part of last month’s agreement. The remains of four men killed in the Oct. 7 attack—whose bodies were taken to Gaza by militants—are now held in the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli authorities.
“My assessment is that Hamas is making real efforts to find the remaining hostages. The numbers are really small now," said Gershon Baskin, a former hostage negotiator who facilitated a 2011 deal with Hamas that freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from captivity and who also worked on negotiations for the release of Goldin’s body. “They see no advantage in holding on to deceased hostages. The deal was made already."
Hamas on Saturday had said it recovered Goldin’s remains in the city of Rafah. Israel recovered the body of another soldier captured during the 2014 war, Oron Shaul, in a military operation earlier in the war.
In recent weeks, forensic specialists, including pathologists, anthropologists and dentists, from Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, have been working late into the night and under pressure to quickly identify the remains handed over by Hamas. For each deceased hostage identified, Israel hands over 15 dead bodies of Palestinian prisoners to Gaza, as required by the agreement.
Write to Anat Peled at anat.peled@wsj.com
topics
