Hamas hands over remains it claims are of Israeli officer missing since 2014 Gaza conflict, says IDF

The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that the Red Cross had received the remains of a hostage, whom Hamas claimed to be officer Hadar Goldin, killed in the Gaza war of 2014. Once the remains are brought into Israel, the country's forensic experts will determine the identity.

"According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip," the military said, news agency AFP reported.

Earlier today, Hamas' armed wing group said in a statement on its Telegram channel, “The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades will deliver the body of officer Hadar Goldin, which was found yesterday in a tunnel in the city of Rafah, at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) Gaza time.”

If the remains of the officer are confirmed, he would be the 24th deceased hostage whose body was returned by Hamas since the start of the current ceasefire on October 10. The body of Goldin has been in captivity in Gaza since he died in 2014. Until now, Hamas had never admitted his death or possession of his remains.

Another Israeli soldier, identified as Oron Shaul, was also killed in the war in 2014. His body was recovered earlier this year amid the latest war that took place after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The 23-year-old Goldin was part of an Israeli unit employed to locate and destroy Hamas tunnels when he was killed on August 1, 2014, just hours after a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire took effect.

The Israeli military stated that Goldin was killed when militants ambushed his unit and took his body. He is listed among the fallen hostages whose remains Israel aims to recover under the ongoing US-brokered ceasefire meant to end the latest Gaza conflict.

Four bodies still held in Gaza

At the beginning of the truce, Hamas was believed to be holding 20 living captives and the bodies of 28 others. Since then, it has freed all surviving hostages and handed over the remains of 23 deceased individuals, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

In return, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and repatriated the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians. Four bodies, three Israeli and one Thai, are still held in Gaza, all taken during the October 2023 assault.