Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Nov 10: Israeli officials say the remains of a soldier believed to be Hadar Goldin, whose body had been held by Hamas since the 2014 Gaza war, have been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and transferred to Israel. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the remains are being taken to Israel’s national forensic institute in Tel Aviv for formal identification.

Hamas announced on Sunday that it had released the body of Goldin, an army officer killed during the 2014 conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later acknowledged that the remains were believed to be his, calling it a moment of “deep anguish and long-awaited closure” for the Goldin family. “For 11 years, successive governments worked tirelessly to bring him home,” Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting. “Now, his family will finally be able to lay him to rest in Israel.”

According to Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, Goldin’s remains were discovered in a tunnel in the Yebna refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza. The group said the discovery occurred on Saturday, marking the first reported recovery operation in Rafah since the Oct. 10 ceasefire took effect. The area remains under Israeli control, with civilians still barred from returning.

In a separate statement, the Brigades accused Israel of provoking renewed clashes in Rafah, insisting their fighters were “defending themselves in occupied territory.” They urged international mediators to preserve the fragile ceasefire and facilitate the recovery of other bodies, citing the need for more technical assistance.

Before Sunday’s handover, Hamas had returned the remains of 23 hostages to Israel. If confirmed as Goldin’s, four bodies remain in Gaza — three Israeli citizens and one Thai national abducted during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, Gaza health officials reported that Israel has released about 300 Palestinian bodies, many still unidentified. Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israeli strikes and demolitions have continued across parts of Gaza, with the Health Ministry claiming the overall death toll from Israeli operations since October 2023 has reached 69,169.