The Palestinian movement Hamas handed over to Israel on Sunday the coffin containing the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed during the 2014 operation. The transfer was mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the body has now been sent for examination and identification.
Hamas returns Lieutenant Goldin’s remains to Israel after ten years
The Palestinian movement Hamas has handed over to Israel the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was considered dead after the 2014 fighting during Operation Protective Edge. According to the (Israeli Defence Force) IDF press service, the coffin with the remains was handed over “the day before” with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The body is now undergoing identification at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, where hundreds of Israelis have gathered to await the results of the examination.
The Financial Times noted that Goldin’s image has taken on symbolic significance in Israel: his photograph hung for a long time on the prime minister’s desk, among other places. At a government meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli authorities had made “great efforts” over the past decade to return the soldier and that the return of his remains would allow his family to bury him “according to Jewish custom.”
“We have a covenant from the time of the founding of the state to bring back our soldiers who fell in battle,” he also added.
The 2014 operation and casualties on both sides
The 2014 operation, aimed at destroying Hamas’ military infrastructure, claimed the lives of 66 Israeli soldiers; according to the UN, more than 2,000 people were killed on the Palestinian side, most of them civilians. The Israeli military reported that 23-year-old Goldin was kidnapped in a firefight, he was later declared dead.
Alongside the news of Goldin’s remains being returned to the region, new threats emerged: the Yemeni Houthi group sent a letter to Hamas warning of a possible resumption of rocket and drone strikes on Israel in the event of a violation of the ceasefire in Gaza. According to the rebel-controlled Al-Masirah channel, the letter, signed by the newly appointed chief of staff Yusef al-Madani, states the Houthis’ readiness to “remain faithful to their promise and support the Palestinian movement, despite the sacrifices.”
Escalation in Yemen
From the start of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023 until the current truce came into effect on October 10, the Houthis launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and UAVs at Israeli territory — according to official data, most of them were intercepted. The group also carried out attacks on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, allegedly sinking several vessels. Last week, the Houthis announced a mobilisation, tightened control over their territories and sent reinforcements to the front in the Marib province, where fighting is ongoing between rebels and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia.
These statements and movements, against the backdrop of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent remarks that the Houthis “pose a threat to Israel,” increase the risk of escalation in the region and could undermine the fragile truce in Gaza.
