The family of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held captive in Gaza for nine years, protested against government representatives at a memorial ceremony for Operation Protective Edge on Thursday, with Goldin's mother, Leah, stating she would immolate herself if that's what it would take to bring her son's body home.
"[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, [Benny] Gantz, [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant, [IDF Chief of Staff] Herzi [Halevi], what do you want? Do you want me to immolate myself? No problem. I'll immolate myself like Itzik Saidan. That's what opened your eyes to deal with wounded veterans, so it's about time that you open your eyes to deal with the captives and their families. I have no problem immolating myself, I just need to choose the right time and place. Is that the only way you'll understand? Is this your language? It doesn't scare me," said Leah Goldin ahead of the ceremony.
"You can't boast about round after round [of fighting] and to say 'there'll be more killed, wounded, and captive.' We won't give up on the value of brotherhood, to return the soldiers from the battlefield. You send off our boys while hiding behind fences."
During the memorial ceremony, Netanyahu stated that he was committed to bringing home the soldiers and civilians being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
President Isaac Herzog stated during the ceremony "Operation Protective Edge ended nine years ago but the mission is not over. The State of Israel is obligated to return home the IDF soldiers who did not return from the battle - Lt. Hadar Goldin and St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, and with them the civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed."
As Netanyahu left the ceremony, Ayelet Goldin, Hadar's sister, shouted toward him "Benjamin Netanyahu, look a bereaved sister in the eyes. You've been prime minister for nine years. Don't turn your back on me. What is there in the grave for nine years? Tzitzit and a bloodied uniform and my brother, whole and beautiful, is wallowing in Gaza. You know exactly where he is. You are guilty, prime minister, your hands bear the responsibility. Judaism and Israelism are our values, what are your values, prime minister? You are abandoning soldiers and civilians."
איילת גולדין, אחותו של חלל צה"ל הדר גולדין, התפרצה לעבר ראש הממשלה נתניהו באירוע לציון 9 שנים למבצע צוק איתן: "אתה יודע בדיוק איפה הוא, אתה אשם. אני מחנכת את הילדים לאור הערכים שלך אח שלך, מה הערכים שלך? אתה מפקיר חיילים ואזרחים"@HGoldich pic.twitter.com/IblYA4FYN4
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 29, 2023
Netanyahu continued to walk away from Goldin as she protested. Herzog was seen in video from the scene standing next to Goldin while speaking to someone else nearby as she protested.
Goldin's father, Simcha, was reportedly blocked from entering the memorial ceremony.
Goldin was kidnapped during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 in an ambush by Hamas terrorists. St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul's body was also kidnapped in a separate attack during the 2014 operation. Hamas is also holding civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed captive in Gaza.
Hamas says it held secret negotiations with Israel about captives
Late last year, Hamas published a photo of the Tavor rifle it claimed belonged to Goldin. The leader of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, stated during a ceremony at the time that Hamas has been holding “secret negotiations” with Israel concerning the captives its holding in Gaza.
The terrorist movement is demanding the release of all prisoners rearrested after being released in the Shalit deal and all female, minor, sick and elderly prisoners, as well any bodies being held by Israel, according to Sinwar.
“We will give the occupation a limited time to complete this deal, otherwise we will close the file of the four soldiers forever, and we will find another way to liberate our prisoners, God willing,” said Sinwar at the time. Mengistu and al-Sayed are both civilians, but Hamas refers to them as soldiers.
Last June, a former National Security Council official referred to as "Maoz" told KAN Reshet Bet radio that Israel was once "very close" to reaching a prisoner swap agreement to return the Israelis being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
"We have two civilians and two soldiers who are there and this needs to always be in front of our eyes and we need to do everything in order to return them. Hamas needs to understand that there is a line, a strong line, and not a line that is blurred all the time and is crossed," added Maoz. "I think that we were very close to a solution concerning the captives and missing, again, because of reasons that I don't want to get into at the moment, we did not reach a solution."
Additionally, last June, Hamas published footage showing al-Sayed lying in bed and breathing through an oxygen mask. Hamas warned that al-Sayed's health condition was deteriorating at the time, although there have been no public updates since then.
In 2021, Moshe Tal, the former IDF official responsible for captives, told Army Radio that "There was a window of opportunity and I have a hard time explaining why Israel froze it. Some will say that the political reality sets the tone and some will say that we are traumatized by the Shalit deal. I do not take it lightly, but trauma is not a work plan."