The IDF released new details on Monday, November 9, about the operations that brought Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains back to Israel, one year after his return and more than 11 years after Hamas killed and abducted him. The disclosure covers the 10-kilometer tunnel in which Hamas kept Goldin’s remains and the efforts to retrieve him. Goldin was killed in battle in Rafah on August 1, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, when Hamas violated a ceasefire and seized his body. He left behind his parents, a sister, two brothers, and his fiancée.
Goldin’s remains were returned on November 9, 2025, and he was laid to rest two days later. The long recovery effort contributed significantly to the defeat of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade and to the military’s achievements in the area, the IDF said. In July 2025, a special operation by Southern Command forces and the Shin Bet, guided by Military Intelligence, led to the arrest of Hamas operative Marwan al-Hams, suspected of knowing where Goldin was buried in Rafah’s “Dror Lavan” tunnel. That arrest was one of dozens of covert operations the IDF and Shin Bet carried out over the years to bring Goldin home for burial.
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