Hamas to Hand Over Remains of Israeli Officer Killed in 2014 Gaza War
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, will deliver the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli officer killed during the 2014 Gaza war.
Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Sunday its intention to hand over the remains of Israeli Officer Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed during the 2014 Gaza War.
According to a statement released by the group on its Telegram channel, the body of Goldin will be delivered at 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) Gaza time.
The move comes as Israel and Hamas continue to negotiate under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the recent conflict.
Goldin's remains were found in a tunnel in Rafah, a city located in southern Gaza.
Once handed over, Israeli forensic experts will be responsible for identifying the remains.
If confirmed, Goldin’s return would mark the 24th deceased hostage whose remains Hamas has returned since the commencement of the current ceasefire on October 10.
Hamas had previously not acknowledged Goldin's death or the possession of his remains.
However, following reports that Israel allowed Hamas and Red Cross personnel to search in an area under Israeli control within Rafah for Goldin’s remains, Hamas retrieved the body from a tunnel beneath territory held by Israeli forces.
In response, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief, visited the Goldin family, reaffirming the commitment of both himself and the IDF to recovering Goldin's remains and those of other fallen hostages.
Goldin was part of an Israeli unit tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels when he was killed on August 1, 2014.
The incident occurred just hours after a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire went into effect.
The Israeli military reported that militants ambushed Goldin's team, resulting in his death and the seizure of his body.
In addition to Goldin, four other hostage bodies remain to be returned from Gaza — all of them seized during the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.
These include three Israelis and one Thai national.
The ongoing ceasefire agreement has seen Hamas release all living hostages it was holding (20 individuals) and return 23 deceased captives' remains.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.
According to a statement released by the group on its Telegram channel, the body of Goldin will be delivered at 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) Gaza time.
The move comes as Israel and Hamas continue to negotiate under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the recent conflict.
Goldin's remains were found in a tunnel in Rafah, a city located in southern Gaza.
Once handed over, Israeli forensic experts will be responsible for identifying the remains.
If confirmed, Goldin’s return would mark the 24th deceased hostage whose remains Hamas has returned since the commencement of the current ceasefire on October 10.
Hamas had previously not acknowledged Goldin's death or the possession of his remains.
However, following reports that Israel allowed Hamas and Red Cross personnel to search in an area under Israeli control within Rafah for Goldin’s remains, Hamas retrieved the body from a tunnel beneath territory held by Israeli forces.
In response, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief, visited the Goldin family, reaffirming the commitment of both himself and the IDF to recovering Goldin's remains and those of other fallen hostages.
Goldin was part of an Israeli unit tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels when he was killed on August 1, 2014.
The incident occurred just hours after a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire went into effect.
The Israeli military reported that militants ambushed Goldin's team, resulting in his death and the seizure of his body.
In addition to Goldin, four other hostage bodies remain to be returned from Gaza — all of them seized during the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.
These include three Israelis and one Thai national.
The ongoing ceasefire agreement has seen Hamas release all living hostages it was holding (20 individuals) and return 23 deceased captives' remains.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.