Hamas returns body of IDF soldier held since 2014 amid Rafah tensions

Hamas returned the body of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Lieutenant Hadar Goldin on November 9. Goldin was killed in 2014 during fighting with Hamas, and his body was recovered from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip’s Rafah area near the border with Egypt.

Goldin was one of two soldiers whose bodies were held by Hamas since Operation Protective Edge, the conflict between Israel and Hamas in 2014. The remains of the other deceased soldier, Oron Shaul, were recovered in January 2025. The IDF noted in a statement that Goldin was killed “following a violation of the ceasefire by the Hamas terrorist organization in Rafah on August 1st, 2014, during which he was abducted.” A team of IDF reserve soldiers from Goldin’s platoon arrived to “accompany him on his final journey as he was brought back into Israeli territory,” the IDF said on November 9.

“After more than a decade of anticipation and waiting, Hadar has returned to eternal rest in the Israel Cemetery,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X, adding that he had spoken with Goldin’s family. “This is a moment of deep pain but also of great comfort and closing of a circle. The Goldin family will have a grave to mourn and weep over. […] We are committed to the return of all the abductees who have fallen—to the last one.”

The IDF had searched for Goldin for many years, including in Rafah during the last two years when Israeli troops operated there. “The effort to retrieve him involved extensive intelligence efforts, alongside operational activities on the ground, led by the IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency]. These efforts continued throughout the past decade and during the war,” the IDF said. Goldin’s rifle, which Hamas had seized in 2014, was also found by the IDF in Gaza during the war.

Over the last week, reports indicated that Hamas members were trapped in a tunnel in Rafah and that a deal might be worked out to enable them to transit to Hamas-controlled areas in exchange for turning over Goldin’s body. There are estimated to be around 200 Hamas members in a tunnel network under the ruins of the city.

Hamas was supposed to return all 48 hostages held in Gaza to Israel as part of the ceasefire deal agreed to in Egypt in early October. While all 20 living hostages were returned on October 13, Hamas has been slower to turn over the deceased captives. As of November 10, four bodies are still held in Gaza.

It was not clear if the 200 Hamas members would be allowed to leave the tunnel. “[A source involved in negotiations] did not clarify where the terrorists would be transferred to, stating that it is possible they will be transferred to Egypt, rather than into the Gaza Strip,” The Jerusalem Post reported. The fate of the 200 Hamas members was one of the subjects that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed with US envoy Jared Kushner on November 10. Turkey, which has supported the ceasefire deal, was also reportedly involved in the deal to return Goldin to Israel.

Turkey is also seeking to play a role in a US-backed stabilization force for Gaza, but Israeli officials have opposed Ankara’s involvement. “Defense Minister Israel Katz and a government spokesperson reiterated on Sunday that Israel does not want Turkish soldiers deployed to Gaza as part of a multinational force that is meant to take over from the Israel Defense Forces,” The Times of Israel reported.

As the ceasefire in Gaza continued into its second month, the IDF continued to operate in parts of Gaza to uncover terrorist infrastructure. “In recent weeks, the troops of the 36th Division have been operating in the area of Khan Yunis, located east of the Yellow Line, in accordance with the agreement and the directives of the political echelon,” the IDF said on November 9. Dozens of terrorist sites were dismantled, the Israeli military said.

In addition, on November 10, the IDF said it dealt with a ceasefire violation in which two terrorists crossed the Yellow Line that divides the IDF-controlled area of Gaza from Hamas’s areas of control.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).