Hundreds of Israelis on Wednesday morning to joined the family of fallen IDF officer Hadar Goldin for a protest march from central Israel to the border with the Gaza Strip.
Hadar Goldin was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and his body, along with that of IDF soldier Oron Shaul, has remained in the possession of the terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza, ever since.
The three-day march started from the memorial garden adjacent to the military cemetery where Hadar's grave is, close by to the family home in Kfar Saba, and is expected to end on Friday at the Erez border crossing at the entrance to Gaza.
"My brother has been left abandoned in Gaza for the past eight years, he was abandoned from the moment he was taken captive," said Ayelet Goldin Kaufman, Hadar's sister. "Since then he's been abandoned at every opportunity. We're feeding a monster, which is Hamas, that is controlling us. Everything it asks for it gets - almost 700 terrorists have already been released, 14,000 Palestinians entered Israel this week for work, they receive benefits at prisons and sexually abuse prison guards.
"Those who abandon the fallen, will abandon the living as well," Ayelet added. "There is an agreement between a state and its citizens, that a soldier that goesmissing in battle, needs to be brought back, it's a symbol of this state's ethics. I'm calling on Yair Lapid to be an ethical prime minister - make a plan."
Hadar's twin brother, Tzur, invited all Israelis to join them on their three-day march. "We're going to march instead of the government, which should have marched for us," he said. "We're not afraid to march all the way to the Gaza fence to bring my brother home. We're inviting to march with us all those who believe its important that IDF soldiers return home. All the terrorists have already been released, but my twin brother is still in Gaza. We're not afraid of Hamas - we will reach the Gaza border.
Professor Simcha Goldin, Hadar's father, said: "We must bring back Hadar and the boys. We can't keep abandoning the children that get drafted. They have to understand that they won't be abandoned. Until Hadar isn't brought back - it's not over."
The organizers of the march said they intend on reaching the border fence with Gaza, where they will be calling on the government to bring back the boys. Police forces will supervise the march and maintain order.