It has been 4,117 days since IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin was captured by Hamas and not returned for burial in Israel. Hamas now claims it has located Goldin, a Givati Brigade reconnaissance officer, in tunnels in the Rafah area.
Hours before the announcement, Saudi network Al-Hadath reported that vehicles belonging to the Red Cross and Hamas entered Rafah’s Al-Janina neighborhood, where about 200 terrorists are believed to be trapped in tunnels within an Israeli-controlled enclave, in an effort to locate the Israeli officer.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the security cabinet Thursday that there is no “chief of staff deal” concerning the roughly 200 trapped terrorists — two days after saying he would consider their release only in exchange for Goldin, who has been held in Gaza since 2014. “It’s either surrender or we’ll eliminate them,” Zamir reportedly told the cabinet. “If they surrender, we’ll take them in their underwear to Sde Teiman for questioning.”
Lt. Goldin was killed in August 2014 during a battle in Rafah amid a ceasefire in Operation Protective Edge, and his body was taken by Hamas. For more than 11 years, he has been listed as an IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown. His family has waged a public campaign for his return, long insisting that Gaza’s reconstruction should not proceed without his repatriation.
On Aug. 1, 2014, a 72-hour ceasefire began at 8 a.m. but was quickly violated when Hamas launched rockets at southern Israel, followed by mortar fire. A Givati reconnaissance unit, led by Maj. Benaya Sarel, continued tunnel operations in Rafah. At 9:05 a.m., Hamas terrorists emerged from a tunnel and attacked, killing three soldiers — Goldin, Sarel and Staff Sgt. Liel Gidoni. Goldin’s body was dragged into a tunnel, prompting the IDF to initiate the “Hannibal Directive,” ordering heavy artillery fire to block the kidnappers’ escape.
Givati forces stayed in the area for 72 hours searching for Goldin’s body but failed to recover it. Deputy platoon commander Lt. Eitan Fund and operations officer 2nd Lt. Matan Horesh led a pursuit through the tunnel, during which they found evidence that, together with items recovered later by Sayeret Matkal and the IDF’s Forensic Unit, confirmed Goldin’s death.
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They have been waging a heroic struggle for more than 11 years; Simcha and Leah Goldin, Hadar's parents
(Photo: Dana Kopel)
Before his capture, Goldin was engaged to be married. His father, Prof. Simcha Goldin, recalled their last meeting at his engagement party: “Before he went into Gaza, he had time to draw the wedding invitation himself,” he said. “We met two days before he was killed, in the fields of Nir Yitzhak. They looked strong, ready.”
In recent days, Chief of Staff Zamir reiterated that he would consider freeing the 200 terrorists trapped in Rafah only in exchange for Goldin. Israeli officials now say this condition reflects assessments that Goldin’s remains are being held in the same tunnel network where the terrorists are trapped — a belief held since the war began.
The fallen officer has become a symbol — both for Israel and for Hamas. Following reports that Zamir was weighing such a deal, assessments circulated that Goldin’s remains were indeed in the same tunnels, but Hamas has refused to release them. The IDF stressed, however, that “there is no information confirming that Lt. Hadar Goldin’s body is in the tunnel where Hamas terrorists are located in Rafah. These false claims only harm the family.”
At a rally for the hostages’ families last month, Goldin’s sister, Ayelet, delivered an emotional speech. “I was afraid the square would be empty,” she said. “But this deal brought 20 miracles — 20 lives back from the abyss — while leaving fallen hostages in Hamas’s hands. Hamas has held my brother as a symbol for 11 years. We still have 18 hostages to bring home.”
Fighting back tears, she added, “This is the final battle — the least glamorous one — with no hugs, only bowed heads and final honors. It’s the last campaign, and time is short. Ever since the 20 returned, there have been endless stories about those still missing. That’s a lie — Hamas knows everything. Just as they brought back 20 living captives, they know where the 18 fallen are. Hamas’s problem isn’t knowledge — it’s motivation. They’ve kept my brother as a symbol for 11 years.”
The Goldin family urged the government, even before the latest hostage deal was implemented, to “send in search teams and bring everyone home — before Hamas receives anything in return.” Following the deal’s announcement, the family said, “This war began 11 years ago when the decision was made to leave our hostages behind in Gaza. Our Hadar symbolizes the determination for true victory, and until he is returned, our battle isn’t over.”