Israel goes to great lengths to retrieve the remains of Hadar Goldin, the IDF soldier killed at the opening of the 2014 war with Hamas. Simultaneously, they are working to improve the plight of other hostages situations. Israeli authorities believe that as many as 200 Hamas fighters are holed up in a single underground tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza. They are convinced Goldin’s remains lie somewhere in that vicinity.
Hadar Goldin is in fact the only dead hostage taken prior to October 7, 2023. His family has continually spoken out with their fears, and that of the continued tragedy of the hostages held by Hamas. Goldin’s brother took to social media to emphasize the importance of prioritizing his brother’s return, stating, “It is forbidden to allow the 200 any passage until the return of Hadar and the remaining hostages… Any concession would be an abandonment.”
In other news, Israel managed to successfully obtain the body of Itay Chen, computing that last Israeli-American citizen still held in Gaza. Return of other hostages Also on Sunday, the remains of three other hostages were returned, including that of Israeli-American citizen Omer Neutra. This progress comes amidst new intelligence regarding the location of the longest-held remains in Gaza, according to two Israeli sources.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been clear about this. In response, they claim to have “no information” indicating Goldin’s body is located amidst the tunnels currently swarming with Hamas fighters. On Sunday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare admission of sorts. First, he acknowledged that Hamas has cells operating independently in open territory controlled by Israel.
“There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Netanyahu stated. He acknowledged that two of the hostages are currently being held in Rafah and Khan Younis. This is precisely Israel’s military strategy, to destroy both places.
As Israel continues escalating its war against Hamas… At the same time, questions cloud the future of six dead hostages’ bodies believed still to be in Gaza. An Israeli security official decided Hadar Goldin’s remains soon. Between the ongoing delays and changes to execution of the program, this decision just further complicates the picture.
The Israeli government does a decent job of pretending that they’re balancing military action with humanitarian concerns. They have done incredible work to bring home their citizens and give peace of mind to the mourning families affected by this decades-old conflict.
