A senior reserve IDF intelligence officer who has spent more than a decade supporting families of the fallen and missing described the painstaking work that led to the recovery of long-held remains and the renewed push to return the last captives from Gaza. Reflecting on the emotional moment when Hadar Goldin’s body came home on Saturday, November 8, 2025, he traced the years-long effort of assembling intelligence, creating opportunities, and preparing for precisely timed operations—while counseling families through uncertainty and grief.
The officer detailed how lessons from past cases informed current efforts, emphasizing persistence, creativity, and orchestration across units. He outlined how analysts and operators ran parallel tracks—human sources, detainee questioning, and technical means—to narrow the search, while constantly managing expectations to protect families from rumors and psychological manipulation. Even as he maintained contact over the years, he said the work demanded humility and restraint: to be present when needed, and invisible when not.
With a fragile ceasefire holding and negotiations evolving, his message was one of resolve: there is no substitute for bringing captives home alive, and the state bears that responsibility regardless of complexity. The goal, he said, is to turn experience into action so that families do not wait years for closure again.
(YNN/VFI News)
“God, comfort the families of the hostages, strengthen our soldiers and intelligence teams, and hasten the safe return of every hostage. Guard the hearts of the grieving, steady those who search day and night, and grant success to every righteous effort to bring them home.”
Originally posted on vfinews.com
