The funeral of IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains were returned to Israel more than 11 years after he was killed and taken during a battle in Gaza, will be held Tuesday morning at the Kfar Saba military cemetery.
Goldin, 23, a platoon commander in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed in Rafah and abducted into a tunnel by Hamas during a ceasefire in Operation Protective Edge in August 2014. His remains were returned on Sunday, ending years of efforts by his family to bring him home.
Outside the family’s home in Kfar Saba on Monday evening, Goldin’s siblings — Hemi, Tzur and Ayelet — addressed the media and thanked the public for their support.
“We want to pause and say thank you. Without the people of Israel, Hadar would not be home,” said Ayelet Goldin. “Even in these emotional moments, four hostages are still in captivity. The fact that Hadar was brought back after 11 years proves it is possible to bring everyone home. We will bring them all back — we have no other choice. These are the values of the people of Israel.”
She also thanked those who prayed and demonstrated for her brother’s return. “We feel the embrace of Israeli society over the past 24 hours,” she said. “This society will bring everyone back, and with God’s help we will heal. As for tomorrow — we invite the public to accompany Hadar on his final journey.”
Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, said the Goldin family had reached “painful closure.” Kugel said he first met the family 11 years ago when he informed them that forensic evidence confirmed Goldin’s death.
“Yesterday, together with the staff at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, we were deeply moved at the end of the long road the Goldin family has traveled until Hadar’s return,” he said. “This is a family whose strength, faith and steadfastness inspire us again and again — both at the forensic institute and throughout Israel.”
He said the institute is ready to receive the remains of the four other fallen hostages who have not yet been returned from Gaza “to bring closure to their families as well.”
Goldin’s father, Prof. Simcha Goldin, said the family’s determination was guided by the values Hadar embodied. “The IDF brought Hadar to burial in Israel — no one else,” he said. “We carry these IDF values, the ones we’ve upheld for 11 years, because that’s what Hadar left us — values that say you never leave soldiers behind on the battlefield.”
His mother, Leah, said the family had refused to give up hope since his abduction. “Eleven years and three months ago, we stood here after Hadar was taken and shouted that Gaza must not be left without bringing Hadar home,” she said. “It took us 11 years, with the help of the IDF and the security forces, to bring him back. Simcha and I had to go around the world to do the impossible, just to make sure everyone understands that we share common values — all of us, regardless of race, gender or religion.”
The funeral procession will begin Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the 531/Tel Hai interchange in Kfar Saba and continue along Tel Hai, Weizmann and HaEmek streets to the cemetery entrance.
Goldin is survived by his parents, Simcha and Leah; his sister, Ayelet; and his brothers, Hemi and twin brother, Tzur.