The family of Lt. Hadar Goldin released its first statement Saturday evening following the Hamas claim that they have likely located his body in a tunnel in the Rafah area. “An entire nation is waiting for them to bring Hadar home. This is a mission we must and can succeed in for the sake of us all,” the family said.
They added, “The chief of staff came out at the end of the Sabbath to update us on the tremendous efforts to secure the hostages, and we salute all who are on this national mission. We await the official confirmation that Hadar has returned to Israel. We do not give up on anyone in the country, ever. We ask you to keep calm. It’s not over until it’s final.”
It has been 4,117 days since Goldin was killed in battle and abducted by Hamas in August 2014. According to a security source quoted by ynet, Israeli estimates believe “it is the body of Hadar Goldin,” but note there is no final or official confirmation.
In Israel, preparations are underway for the possible return of the fallen soldier tonight. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the Goldin family home in Kfar Saba on Saturday night.
Mazal Gidoni, mother of Sgt. Liel Gidoni — a Givati Brigade soldier killed in the same incident — told ynet: “We are breathless, praying this is true, that this saga will end and the circle of August 1, 2014 will close so we can breathe and mourn properly. Last week was Liel’s birthday; this news would be his best birthday gift.” She said: “I never imagined this could happen; I was very pessimistic. I’m happy now and praying that it ends and that Leah, Hadar’s mother, will breathe again — and then we all can.”
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Liel Gidoni, Hadar Goldin and Benaya Sarel as photographed by a Ynet reporter at Tzuk Eitan
(Yoav Zitun)
The IDF spokesperson confirmed the visit by Chief of Staff Zamir and said he updated the family on “the information available to the IDF,” stressing both his and the IDF’s commitment to securing Hadar’s return and the return of all missing soldiers. He also emphasized the importance of restraint in these sensitive moments pending arrival and completion of necessary checks and verification.
A neighbor of the Goldin family, Lilach, told ynet: “We hope Hadar really returns to Israeli soil after so many years. We’re hopeful he will come back — it’s both a sad and a happy moment. I still remember when Bogie Ya’alon came to the house to inform us that he had fallen.”
Goldin was killed during a battle in Rafah on August 1, 2014, amid a 72‑hour cease‑fire in Operation Protective Edge (Tzuk Eitan), and his body was taken by Hamas. For more than 11 years, he has been listed as a fallen soldier of the Israel Defense Forces with no known place of burial. His family has fought for his return during that time, and long before the war, they insisted that Gaza’s reconstruction should not proceed without his repatriation.
On August 1, 2014, at 08:00, a 72‑hour cease‑fire began. It was quickly breached when Hamas fired rockets into Israel’s Gaza border communities, followed by mortar fire. A Givati Brigade recon force, under the command of Maj. Benaya Sarel continued tunnel operations in the Rafah area. At 09:05, the unit was attacked by militants emerging from a tunnel, killing three soldiers — Goldin, Sarel and Sgt. Liel Gidoni. Goldin was abducted into a tunnel shortly thereafter, prompting the IDF to activate the “Hannibal Directive,” ordering heavy artillery to disrupt the kidnappers’ escape. Givati forces remained in the area an additional 72 hours in an effort to retrieve the body, but without success.
Lt. Eitan Pond and 2nd Lt. Matan Horesh led a pursuit through the tunnel during which they discovered items that, later examined by Sayeret Matkal and the IDF’s Forensic Unit, enabled the conclusion of Goldin’s death.
Before his abduction, Goldin had been engaged to be married. His father, Prof. Simcha Goldin, recalled their last meeting at the engagement party: “Before he entered Gaza, he managed 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.”