Body of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin finally returns home after being killed by Hamas in 2014

The remains of “hero” Israeli solider Hadar Goldin have finally returned home to the Jewish state — a decade after he was slaughtered by Hamas terrorists in 2014.

The 23-year-old military officer’s body had been held in Gaza for a staggering 4,118 days before being turned over to Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory by the Red Cross on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Goldin, who is among the latest of the slain hostages to return to Israel under the US-brokered peace deal, was killed in an ambush in Gaza during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Hamas had claimed over the weekend that it had only just discovered Goldin’s remains in a tunnel in Rafah.

The remains of “hero” Israeli solider Hadar Goldin returned home — a decade after he was killed by Hamas terrorists in 2014. AP

His remains were the only ones left in Gaza predating the current war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s military had long determined that he was dead due to evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. 

Still, the return of his body brought an end to a painful chapter for Israel after Goldin’s family waged a desperate public campaign for 11 years to bring him home.

Scores of Israelis lined the streets as his coffin was brought to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv late Sunday.

His parents noted the “many disappointments” in their efforts over the years to have his body returned.

They credited Israel’s military and “not anyone else” for bringing home their son — in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who they long accused of not doing more to help.

“It took us 11 years to get him back, with the help of the IDF and the security services,” his mother, Leah Goldin, said outside the family’s home.

The 23-year-old military officer’s body was brought to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv late Sunday AP

“We went around the world to do the impossible, to demonstrate that we have shared values, no matter the religion or race, that all have the responsibility to bring home a soldier’s body from the battlefield for proper burial,” she continued.

“These are the values we fought for. We went through so many disappointments.”

Netanyahu, for his part, hailed the recovery, saying he had always “vowed that we would bring them home” and “never gave up on that for a moment.”

“We took many actions, but naturally, once we entered Gaza, we were able to do much more,” he said in a video statement.

“And with God’s help, thanks to the heroism of IDF soldiers and the decisions we made, they came home. Today, Hadar Goldin is coming home.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described Goldin as a “hero of Israel” as he praised the Goldin family’s “tireless and persistent struggle” to bring home his body.

Since the recent ceasefire came into effect, Hamas has released the bodies of 24 hostages have been handed over to Israel as part of Trump’s plan to end the conflict.

Four bodies of hostages killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks are still in Gaza.

With Post wires