IDF special forces and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have retrieved from Gaza the body of long-lost soldier St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, the military announced on Sunday.
On July 20, 2014, Shaul, 20, entered the Shejaia neighborhood near Gaza City in an armored personnel carrier with six other soldiers. The APC was struck by a Kornet anti-tank missile fired by Hamas, killing all those inside.
The secret operation, which involved Shayetet 13 and other special forces, was carried out overnight between Saturday and Sunday from somewhere in northern Gaza and announced just before the Israel-Hamas ceasefire had taken effect.
The body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed and whose body was taken by Hamas during an August 2014 ambush at age 23, was not retrieved and no mention has been made of exactly how or when his body would be retrieved in negotiations with Hamas.
However there is a formula for Palestinian prisoners to be released for dead soldiers’ bodies after Phase I and the first 42 days of the deal expire, either during Phase II or, more likely, Phase III.
“I am in shock,” Zehava Shaul, Oron’s mother, said during a press conference on Sunday. “I’ve been waiting for Oron for 10 and a half years. And believe me, I didn’t believe I would see this moment.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the operation after it was cleared for publication, saying, “In a special operation conducted by the Shin Bet and the IDF just before the ceasefire took effect, we successfully brought back to Israel the body of Golani Brigade soldier Oron Shaul, of blessed memory.
“I extend my heartfelt embrace to the Shaul family and express my deepest gratitude to the Shin Bet and IDF forces for their unwavering courage and determination.
“For many years, the images of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory – who fell during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 – have stood in my office as a daily reminder of my commitment to bringing them home.
“Tonight, we fulfilled the mission of returning Oron. We will not rest, and we will not stop until Hadar Goldin is also brought back to Israel.
“Our dedication remains steadfast: We will continue working to bring all our captives home – both the living and the fallen,” Netanyahu said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Oron Shaul has come home.
“After more than a decade of anguish and anticipation, the IDF and Shin Bet have recovered the body of Golani Brigade soldier Oron Shaul. This is a solemn moment, yet it brings a measure of closure for the Shaul family, who never stopped fighting to bring their son home.
“I extend my heartfelt embrace to the Shaul family during this painful time and salute the dedicated security forces who worked for years with an unwavering commitment to ensure Oron could finally be laid to rest in Israel.
“My thoughts are also with the family of Hadar Goldin, who was killed and abducted during the same operation and has yet to be brought back. The State of Israel remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing Hadar, and all our captives and missing, home,” Katz said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated, “Returning Oron for eternal rest in Israel fulfills the basic moral and ethical obligation that the State of Israel has to all its citizens.
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Body taken by Hamas
“For the past 15 months, the Shaul family has been an inseparable part of our Families Forum. We share their pain and welcome this moment to finally lay Oron to rest in Israel after more than a decade of waiting.
“We will continue our relentless fight to ensure all hostages return home under the current agreement, down to the very last one. This is the only way to prevent future hostages from enduring captivity for over a decade.”
The other Israeli hostages (both alive) who Hamas has held since before the current war are due to be returned to Israel on day 42, the last day of the first phase.