Gaza, Palestine – The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced today, Sunday, November 9, 2025, that it will hand over the body of Israeli officer Hadar Goldin to the Israeli side. The handover will take place at 2:00 PM Gaza time, through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In an official statement, the Qassam Brigades said that the handover of Golden’s body came “within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal.” They indicated that the officer’s remains were found yesterday afternoon in a tunnel in the Yebna refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
The brigades added that the operation was carried out in coordination with the Red Cross. The handover took place alongside the remains of six martyrs from their Shadow Unit who had been guarding the site.
It is worth noting that Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 in Rafah. His body became the subject of a long-standing dispute over prisoner exchange deals between Israel and Hamas.
This handover comes within the framework of the current ceasefire agreement. The agreement, which began on October 10, 2025, included the release of living prisoners and the return of the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in action.
The Golden family is awaiting the official announcement of the handover, stressing that the officer’s case will not be closed until he is officially returned.
