Israel confirms receiving remains of soldier killed in Gaza in 2014

Israel on Sunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin a soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014 closing a painful chapter for the countryThe 23yearold was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in that years war between Israel and Hamas Goldins family waged a public campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains Earlier this year they marked 4000 days since his body was takenIsraels military had long determined that he had been killed based on evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken including a bloodsoaked shirt and prayer fringes His remains had been the only ones left in Gaza predating the current war between Israel and HamasThe remains of four hostages taken in the Hamasled attack on Oct 7 2023 which sparked the current war are still in GazaThe return of the remains of Goldin who has become a national symbol were a significant development in the USbrokered truce which has faltered during the slow return of bodies of hostages and skirmishes between Israeli troops and militants in GazaDozens of people gathered along intersections where the police convoy carried the remains to the national forensic institute paying last respectsMany more gathered later outside the home of Goldins parents who noted the many disappointments in their efforts over the years and said that Israels military and not anyone else had brought home their son apparent criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuNetanyahu told the weekly Cabinet meeting that holding the body for so long has caused great agony of his family which will now be able to give him a Jewish burialKushner said to be in Israel againUS President Donald Trumps soninlaw Jared Kushner has returned to Israel to help press ahead with ceasefire efforts a person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity because the visit hasnt been publicly announcedKushner a top adviser to Trump was a key architect of Washingtons 20point ceasefire plan The deal that took effect October 10 has focused on the first phase of halting the fighting releasing all hostages and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza Details of the second phase including deploying an international security force disarming Hamas and governing postwar Gaza havent been worked outThe person familiar with the visit had no further details on Kushners schedule or how long he would be in IsraelBringing Israels fallen homeIsrael recovered the remains of another soldier killed in 2014 Oron Shaul earlier this yearNetanyahu said that the country would continue trying to bring home the bodies of Israelis still held across enemy lines such as Eli Cohen an Israeli spy hanged in Damascus in 1965Israeli media citing anonymous officials previously reported that Hamas was delaying the release of Goldins body in hopes of negotiating safe passage for more than 100 militants surrounded by Israeli forces and trapped in RafahGila Gamliel the minister of innovation science and technology and a member of Netanyahus Likud party told Army Radio that Israel isnt negotiating for a deal within a dealThere are agreements whose implementation is guaranteed by the mediators and we shouldnt allow anyone to come now and play games and to reopen the agreement she saidHamas made no comment on a possible exchange for its fighters stuck in the socalled yellow zone which is controlled by Israeli forces though they acknowledged that clashes were taking place thereA mothers painGoldins family had held what his mother Leah Goldin has called a pseudofuneral at the urging of Israels military rabbis But the lingering uncertainty was like a knife constantly making new cutsLeah Goldin told The Associated Press earlier this year that returning her sons body has ethical and religious value and is part of the sacrosanct pact Israel makes with its citizens who are required by law to serve in the militaryHadar is a soldier who went to combat and they abandoned him and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well Goldin said She said that her family often felt alone in their struggle to bring Hadar a talented artist who had just become engaged home for burialAfter the Oct 7 attack the Goldin family threw themselves into attempting to help hundreds of families of those abducted and dragged into Gaza Initially the Goldins found themselves shunned as advocacy for the hostages surgedWe were a symbol of failure Goldin recalled They told us we arent like you our kids will come back soonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever