'Israel' identifies remains returned as officer killed in 2014 Gaza war

'Israel' has announced that the remains recently returned by Hamas belong to Hadar Goldin, an 'Israeli' officer who was killed during the 2014 Gaza War.

Goldin, who served in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), died in the course of military operations against Hamas.

- Background -

In 2010, Goldin enlisted in the IOF, where he served as a lieutenant in the elite Givati Brigade, a reconnaissance unit known for its operations in Gaza.

During Operation Protective Edge, the 2014 Gaza War, his unit was tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. However, Goldin's patrol was ambushed by Hamas fighters in Rafah.

Two other soldiers were killed in the attack, and Goldin was initially reported as captured alive before the IOF confirmed his death the following day, based on forensic evidence.

However, Hamas fighters dragged his body into a tunnel, holding it captive for over a decade as a bargaining chip.

- "Black Friday" -

When Goldin was captured by Hamas, the event triggered 'Israel’s' controversial Hannibal Directive, an operational protocol aimed at preventing the capture of soldiers, which ultimately led to widespread destruction in the Rafah area.

Investigations conducted by Forensic Architecture for Amnesty International in 2015 concluded that the directive prompted indiscriminate attacks on residential neighborhoods, resulting in a tragic event referred to as “Black Friday.” The bombardment reportedly killed between 135 and 200 Palestinian civilians, including 75 children, within just three hours of Goldin’s suspected capture.

Both Amnesty International and the United Nations’ Gaza Inquiry alleged that the actions carried out by 'Israel' constituted war crimes. Videos and reports indicated heavy air and ground assaults on civilian areas as part of the attempt to implement the Hannibal Directive.

Despite these findings, the IOF’s internal investigation denied formally implementing the Hannibal Procedure, though it admitted the term was used over field radios.

According to the IOF report, 41 people were killed during the incident, including 12 Hamas fighters. However, critics such as Asa Kasher, the 'Israeli' author of the IOF code of ethics, argued that the directive may have directly contributed to Goldin’s death due to operational misinterpretation by fellow soldiers.

Testimonies from IOF personnel involved in the operation further contradicted the official narrative. One infantry officer described a three-hour barrage following the directive, in which artillery units fired at maximum capacity into inhabited areas. The Givati Brigade inquiry reported that more than 2,000 bombs, missiles, and shells were fired in Rafah on that day, with around 1,000 of those deployed in the hours immediately after Goldin’s capture.