TEL AVIV, Israel — On Sunday, Israel received the remains of an individual that Hamas claims is Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in 2014. His remains had been held in Gaza for 11 years, making them the only ones from before the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hamas announced that Goldin's remains were discovered in a tunnel in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, on Saturday.

Goldin was killed on August 1, 2014, shortly after a ceasefire took effect, ending that year’s war between the two sides. Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian stated, "Israel believes the remains now in our hands are of Lt. Hadar Goldin," but noted that forensic confirmation is still required. This confirmation could occur within hours.

The return of Goldin's remains is seen as a significant development in the ongoing U.S.-brokered truce, which has faced challenges amid the slow return of hostages' bodies and ongoing skirmishes between Israeli forces and militants in Gaza. For Goldin's family, this moment could bring closure to a painful chapter in their lives. The Red Cross facilitated the transfer of the remains to the Israeli military, which will take them to a national forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.

As the police convoy transporting the remains made its way to Tel Aviv, dozens of people gathered along the route, holding Israeli flags and paying their respects. If the remains are confirmed to be Goldin's, four other hostages' bodies will still remain in Gaza.

During a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed that the prolonged holding of Goldin's body has caused "great agony" for his family, who will now be able to provide him with a Jewish burial. Goldin's family has been vocal in their campaign to recover their son, alongside the family of another soldier, Oron Shaul, whose remains were recovered earlier this year.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to recovering the bodies of Israelis still held by enemy forces, including Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy executed in Damascus in 1965. Reports from Israeli media have suggested that Hamas delayed the release of Goldin's body in hopes of negotiating safe passage for over 100 militants trapped in Rafah.

Gila Gamliel, Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, stated that Israel is not engaging in negotiations for a deal within a deal. She emphasized, "There are agreements whose implementation is guaranteed by the mediators, and we shouldn’t allow anyone to come now and play (games) and to reopen the agreement."

Since the ceasefire began on October 10, militants have released the remains of 23 hostages. Under the terms of the truce, all hostages' remains are expected to be returned. For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Ahmed Dheir, director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported that 300 remains have been returned, with 89 identified.

The conflict escalated following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 251 kidnappings. As of Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the death toll among Palestinians in Gaza has reached 69,176.

In 2014, the Israeli military determined that Goldin had been killed based on evidence found in the tunnel, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. His family held what Leah Goldin, Hadar's mother, referred to as a "pseudo-funeral" at the urging of military rabbis. She described the uncertainty surrounding her son's fate as a "knife constantly making new cuts."

Leah Goldin has previously stated that returning her son’s body holds ethical and religious significance, reflecting the commitment Israel makes to its citizens who serve in the military. "Hadar is a soldier who went to combat and they abandoned him, and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well," she said.

In the aftermath of the October 7 attack, the Goldin family dedicated themselves to assisting other families of abducted individuals. Initially, they felt isolated in their efforts, as public advocacy for hostages surged. "We were a symbol of failure," Leah Goldin recalled. "They told us, ‘we aren’t like you, our kids will come back soon.’"