Israel's Military Chief Vows to Bring Home Officer's Remains After Decade-Long Hold in Gaza

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Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has pledged to bring home the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the 2014 Gaza war. Goldin's body has been held in Gaza for over a decade, with Hamas never publicly confirming his death or acknowledging possession of his remains. Goldin was a 23-year-old officer who was part of an Israeli unit tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels when he was killed on August 1, 2014. His team came under fire from militants, who killed him and seized his body. In a meeting with Goldin's family, Zamir emphasized his commitment and the Israeli army's commitment to bringing back Hadar and all the fallen hostages, including Oron Shaul, another Israeli soldier whose body was recovered earlier this year. The pledge comes as part of the ongoing US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the latest Gaza war. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas has released all living hostages and returned 23 sets of remains. In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians. The return of Goldin's remains, along with those of four other hostages, is crucial for Israel's efforts to close the chapter on the 2014 war. While Hamas has issued no official comment on the recovery of Goldin's remains, Israeli media has cited Hamas sources as saying that the group had found his body in a tunnel in the southern city of Rafah.