Eleven years have passed since that complex, painful and deceptive summer of Operation Protective Edge. An operation that did not end, even with the return of the remains of Givati Reconnaissance Unit Lt. Hadar Goldin. August 1, 2014, "Black Friday" east of Rafah, became one of the most difficult days in that war.
From the ceasefire, defined by the Obama administration and the UN as humanitarian, Hamas terrorists emerged and ambushed the Givati force in broad daylight, commanded by company commander Major Benaya Sarel, and under the command of First Sergeant Liel Gidoni and Hadar. All three were killed in the ambush, while Hadar was abducted into the tunnel.
Lieutenant Eitan Fund, who received the Medal of Distinguished Service for his actions, became the first IDF officer ever to rush into Hamas's tunnels of darkness, pursuing contact, attempting to track Hadar, and locating, alongside additional teams, dramatic findings that made it possible to determine Hadar's fate that very day.
With the battles subsiding, the military intelligence and operational effort to locate the remains of two missing soldiers from the operation, First Sergeant Oron Shaul and Lieutenant Goldin, stood at the forefront for those engaged in the work of hostages and missing persons in the IDF and Shin Bet. Teams were established over the years, directions were changed, and activity was recorded from ground up which yielded valuable intel.
In contrast, Hamas terrorist organization was and remains a stubborn, suspicious and closed adversary, who jealously guarded their assets, with the intention of using them to bring about the release of mass Palestinian prisoners—which made the challenge of locating those held captive exponentially more complex.
Sinwar, the Archi-terrorist and leader of Hamas until was killed by IDF in October 2024, even tried to deceive Israeli public opinion and his fellow security prisoners in jail, in an attempt to paint a picture according to which the missing soldiers wrer alive in captivity. In a joint operation by the Shin Bet, Prison Service and Military Intelligence, we acted, even at that time, to burst the fake-reality that Sinwar tried to create, which aroused anger, rage and frustration among his closest associates.
Even then, the political echelon did not abandon its considerations and did not allow the negotiating team to continue the indirect engagement with Hamas in order to return the sons and at reasonable price. Instead, voices emerged unrealistically calling for "changing the aquation" and applying economic pressure on Hamas that would lead to the release of the missing soldiers—an approach that would not contribute to the process but rather hardening positions and even growing motivations to carry out a terrorist attack the likes of which had never been known. Agendas of preserving the status quo with Hamas will stand at the center of a national commission inquiry, examining the worst security failure in Israel’s history.
The intelligence community's campaigns to return hostages and missing persons are woven into the chronicles of wars and the periods between them. Legends filled with courage and blood, unparalleled creativity, infinite commitment to the warrior ethos and intergenerational moving circle-closing. From the War of Independence to October 7, the IDF spirit pulsed into the commitment, which involves extensive resources, to return our sons home – whatever it takes and as long as it takes.
The effort to bring back every last hostage from Gaza is not only a sacred moral mission, but also a step toward ending the agonizing uncertainty, allowing space for mourning, healing, and advancing the work of Tikun Olam — repairing and bettering our world.
This is the greatness and uniqueness of Israeli society, of the Zionist ethos and the Jewish tradition. Amid the sorrow and tears, we find a deep sense of national pride — and a steadfast hope for a bright future for the State of Israel.