Hundreds of mourners gathered in the central town of Kfar Saba on Tuesday as Israel laid to rest army officer Hadar Goldin. His remains were returned by Hamas after being held in Gaza for more than a decade.
Israel received Goldin’s remains on Sunday as part of an ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump. The return marked the end of an 11-year ordeal that deeply affected the soldier’s family and the nation.
Goldin’s father, Simcha Goldin, described his son as a “Jewish warrior” and urged mourners to honor his legacy by rejecting hate. “Behave righteously and do not hate one another. That is Hadar’s legacy,” he said during the emotional ceremony.
Hadar Goldin, 23, was killed on August 1, 2014, during Israel’s military operation in Gaza known as “Operation Protective Edge.” He was leading a mission to destroy Hamas tunnels when he was ambushed and killed, just hours into a short truce. His body was seized by Hamas and held in Gaza since then.
Goldin’s twin brother, Tzur, said that Hamas’s strategy of hostage-taking aimed to weaken Israeli society by targeting its strong family values. “It seeks to divide us, to make us question who matters more or less,” he said.
Many in attendance expressed mixed feelings of sadness and relief. “Today is a hard day, but I am happy because Hadar’s coming was a dream,” said Israel Blumshtein, a 76-year-old resident of Kfar Saba.
Following the recent truce in Gaza, Hamas has returned 20 living hostages and the remains of 24 others, including Goldin. Four bodies of hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack remain in Gaza.
Goldin’s burial brings closure to a long chapter of grief for his family and highlights the human cost of ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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