Tens of Thousands Honor Soldier Hadar Goldin at Funeral in Israel

Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in Kfar Saba, Israel, on Tuesday to pay their respects at the funeral of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier whose remains were held in Gaza for over a decade. The ceremony, attended by family, friends, and supporters, overflowed from the cemetery, with crowds blocking surrounding streets while holding Israeli flags and standing in somber reflection.

This moment marked a significant point of closure for Goldin’s family, who had campaigned tirelessly for his remains to be returned following his death in 2014. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Goldin was killed shortly after a ceasefire took effect during the 2014 Gaza War. His remains were returned by Hamas on Sunday, following years of advocacy and public pressure from his family.

Family’s Struggle for Closure

In the years leading up to this moment, Goldin’s family had organized numerous public campaigns demanding the return of his body. Posters featuring Goldin and Oron Shaul, another soldier whose remains were taken in the same conflict, adorned intersections in various cities. The family’s efforts highlighted the emotional toll of the situation, with Goldin’s mother, Leah Goldin, previously stating that recovering her son’s body was part of the social contract between Israel and its citizens, particularly those who are required to serve in the military.

“Hadar is a soldier who went into combat and they abandoned him,” she said earlier this year. “They destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well.”

During the funeral, Leah Goldin expressed the “many disappointments” the family faced over the years, noting that their son’s return was primarily due to the IDF rather than political leaders, implicitly critiquing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the situation.

Netanyahu acknowledged the pain endured by the Goldin family, stating that the long wait for their son’s burial had caused “great agony.” He emphasized that the family could now give Goldin a proper Jewish burial.

The Broader Impact of the Search

The struggle to recover Goldin’s remains was not without consequence. In attempts to locate him, Israeli forces employed the controversial Hannibal Directive, which authorized the use of significant military force to prevent the capture of soldiers. This directive led to heavy shelling in the neighborhood of Rafah, resulting in over 110 Palestinian deaths. Human rights organizations later identified at least 121 casualties from these military actions, with accusations of war crimes against Israel for allegedly using disproportionate force.

The Hannibal Directive was eventually revoked by the military in 2016, following intense scrutiny of its implications. The 2014 conflict had already resulted in significant loss of life on both sides, with over 2,200 Palestinians reported killed, including many civilians. On the Israeli side, 73 individuals lost their lives over the course of the fighting.

As the community mourns the loss of Hadar Goldin, his story serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and human costs associated with the ongoing conflict in the region. The return of his remains has provided a degree of solace to his family, yet it also highlights the broader, unresolved issues that continue to affect both Israelis and Palestinians.

In the wake of this tragedy, the hope remains for a future where such losses are no longer a reality for families on either side.