**Israel Receives Remains of Soldier Killed in 2014 Gaza Conflict, Closing a Painful Chapter**
*Tel Aviv, Israel (AP)* — Israel on Sunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014, closing a painful chapter for the country.
Goldin, 23, was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect during that year’s war between Israel and Hamas. His family waged a public campaign for 11 years to bring home his remains, and earlier this year, they marked 4,000 days since his body was taken.
Israel’s military had long determined that Goldin had been killed based on evidence found in the tunnel where his remains were taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. Until now, his remains had been the only ones left in Gaza predating the current war between Israel and Hamas.
The remains of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023—which sparked the latest conflict—are still in Gaza.
**Significant Development Amid Faltering Truce**
The return of Goldin’s remains represents a significant development in the U.S.-brokered truce, which has faltered amidst the slow return of hostage bodies and skirmishes between Israeli troops and militants in Gaza.
Dozens gathered along intersections to pay their respects as a police convoy transported the remains to the national forensic institute. Later, many more gathered outside the home of Goldin’s parents. They noted the “many disappointments” faced over the years and emphasized that Israel’s military—and “not anyone else”—had brought their son home, an apparent criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu acknowledged the prolonged agony endured by Goldin’s family, stating the return would allow them to give him a Jewish burial.
Earlier this year, Israel also recovered the remains of Oron Shaul, another soldier killed in 2014.
**Jared Kushner Returns to Israel to Aid Ceasefire Efforts**
Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key adviser, has returned to Israel to help advance ceasefire negotiations, according to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity due to the visit not being publicly announced.
Kushner was a principal architect of Washington’s 20-point ceasefire plan. The deal, which took effect on October 10, centers on halting the fighting in its first phase, releasing all hostages, and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Details of the second phase—including deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, and governing postwar Gaza—have yet to be finalized.
A source close to the negotiations shared that Kushner was working to secure safe passage for 150–200 trapped Hamas militants in exchange for their surrender of weapons after the release of Goldin’s remains.
Israeli media have previously reported that Hamas delayed releasing Goldin’s body, hoping to negotiate safe passage for militants surrounded by Israeli forces in Rafah.
However, Gila Gamliel, Israel’s minister of innovation, science, and technology and a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, told Army Radio that Israel was not negotiating any deal within a deal.
“There are agreements whose implementation is guaranteed by the mediators, and we shouldn’t allow anyone to come now and play games or reopen the agreement,” she said.
Hamas has made no public comment on a possible exchange for fighters stuck in the so-called “yellow zone,” controlled by Israeli forces, while acknowledging ongoing clashes there.
**A Mother’s Pain and Resilience**
Goldin’s family previously held what his mother, Leah Goldin, described as a “pseudo-funeral,” urged by Israel’s military rabbis. But the lingering uncertainty was like “a knife constantly making new cuts.”
Earlier this year, Leah Goldin told The Associated Press that returning her son’s body held deep ethical and religious importance, representing part of the sacrosanct pact Israel makes with its citizens who are required by law to 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.
Leah also shared that her family often felt alone in their struggle to bring Hadar—a talented artist who had just become engaged—home for burial.
Following the October 7 attack, the Goldin family sought to help hundreds of families whose loved ones were taken into Gaza. Initially, they found themselves shunned as advocacy for the 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.’”
**Palestinian Remains Returned Amid Hostage Releases**
For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has reportedly released the remains of 15 Palestinians.
Ahmed Dheir, director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said that the remains of 300 Palestinians have now been returned, with 89 identified.
The October 7 attack killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel—mostly civilians—and resulted in 251 people being kidnapped.
On Saturday, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 69,176.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records that are generally considered reliable by independent experts.
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*Copyright © Associated Press*
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