After 11 Years, Israel Buries Lt. Hadar Goldin — Family and Nation Seek Closure

Hundreds of people gathered in Kfar Saba on Tuesday to mourn Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, whose remains were returned by Hamas more than a decade after he was killed in Gaza. The flag-draped coffin was carried into the military cemetery by soldiers of the Givati Brigade, bringing an agonising 11-year chapter to an end for his family and many in Israel.

Crowds filled the cemetery and surrounding streets; some watched the ceremony from nearby rooftops and many followed the service on a large outdoor screen. Blue-and-white Israeli flags were visible throughout as mourners held Goldin’s portrait and a homemade banner that read: "We will remember forever."

Israeli authorities said they received Goldin’s remains on Sunday as part of a Gaza ceasefire arrangement that some reports say was brokered by US President Donald Trump. The return followed numerous earlier attempts and prisoner-exchange negotiations that had failed to recover the remainder of his body.

Family, army and nation

At the funeral, Goldin’s father, Simcha Goldin, praised his son as a "Jewish warrior" and appealed to mourners to live by his values: "Behave righteously and do not hate one another. That is Hadar's legacy. I ask you to act the same way, and to let there be a little more of Hadar in our daily lives."

"Today, you have returned to the land for which you fought. But we will keep returning to every place where a promise remains unfulfilled," said Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir in his eulogy. "We will fight on until every one of our sons has come home."

Hadar Goldin, 23, was killed on 1 August 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. Israeli officials say he was ambushed in Rafah while leading a mission to destroy Hamas tunnels and that his body was taken shortly after his death during a brief humanitarian truce.

Community response and closure

The return provided a measure of closure for Goldin’s family and for many Israelis who had followed his case closely. Chen Kugel, head of Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine, told reporters that the recovery gave "a sense of closure, for the family... but also for the entire country. Now he's in Israel, in his home. Even if that home is a grave."

Goldin’s twin brother, Tzur, used the moment to reiterate a central theme of the family’s public message: the importance of national solidarity. He said hostage-taking was intended to "weaken Israeli society" by pitting private grief against the public good, and added that true victory would be preserving Israel’s founding principle of not abandoning one another.

The funeral ended with mourners joining in a solemn rendition of Israel’s national anthem, the Hatikvah.

The wider picture

Officials say that since the truce in the most recent Gaza war came into effect on 10 October, Hamas has released all 20 living hostages it held and handed over the remains of 24 others, including Goldin. Four bodies of hostages seized during the 7 October 2023 attack remain in Gaza, and family members and supporters say they will continue pressing for their return.

Neighbours and attendees described Goldin’s story as "moving and exceptional." For many, the day combined grief and relief — closure for one family, and a renewed public pledge to bring everyone home.

acc-jd/smw — Reporting includes AFP contributions.