Israeli settlers attack two Palestinian villages in the West Bank

KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) – Tens of thousands of people packed a cemetery in central Israel on Tuesday for the funeral of an Israeli soldier whose body had been held in Gaza for 11 years, overflowing and blocking surrounding streets as somber crowds stood with Israeli flags.

The burial of Lt. Hadar Goldin was a moment of closure for his family, which had traveled the world in a public campaign seeking his return. The huge turnout also reflected the importance of the case for the broader public in Israel, where Goldin became a household name during the struggle to bring his remains home.

Hamas returned his remains on Sunday as part of the Trump-brokered ceasefire deal that began last month. The bodies of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, are still in Gaza.

Goldin was 23 when he was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. For years before the 2023 attack, posters with the faces of Goldin and Oron Shaul, another soldier whose body was abducted in the 2014 war, stared down from intersections as their families campaigned for the return of their bodies.

Israel’s military long ago determined that Goldin had been killed based on evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. The military retrieved Shaul’s body in January. On Tuesday, it announced it had dismantled the tunnel shaft where his body was found.

“Hadar, we waited for you 11 years, that’s a long time. A very long time. I honestly can’t explain how we did it,” Goldin’s mother, Leah, said as she stood next to his grave. Even though there was never any doubt that Goldin had been killed, being able to reach out and touch his body finally allowed her to let go of her last hopes. “I still believed you would jump up and say ‘Everything is fine!'” she said.

Eulogies from Goldin’s siblings, parents, and former fiancee at his funeral never mentioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was also prime minister when Goldin was kidnapped and for most of the period since. They continuously thanked the Israeli military, including reserve soldiers, who tirelessly searched for Goldin’s body over the years.

Netanyahu did not attend the funeral, though Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, gave a eulogy on behalf of the military. Benny Gantz, an opposition lawmaker who was the chief of staff during Goldin’s abduction, attended with former military leaders.

For years, Israel had four hostages in Gaza: Goldin, Shaul, and two Israelis with mental health issues who had crossed into Gaza on their own and were held since 2014 and 2015.

All four have been returned from Gaza in the past year. Many who spoke at Goldin’s funeral noted how, with the return of his body, the 2014 war had finally ended.

His parents traveled around Israel and around the world, meeting with politicians and leaders, and testifying at the U.N. in their desperate bid to retrieve his body for burial.

“Hamas’ kidnapping of bodies is attempting to destroy families and destroy Israel from the inside,” said Tzur Goldin, the twin brother of Hadar. He noted how many hundreds of thousands of Israelis over the years had prayed for his brother’s return, lit candles, came to protests, wore T-shirts with his photo, or hung up signs in support.

His sister, Ayelet, called it a “historic moment” to finally be able to stand with her family and say the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead over her brother’s body and not over an empty grave. “Suddenly, now that you’re here, I understand how sacred and profound it is to bring you home, because this is where you belong and this is where you need to be,” said Edna Sarusi, Hadar’s former fiancee.

Leah Goldin told The Associated Press earlier this year that recovering her son’s body is part of the social contract between Israel and its citizens, who are required by law to serve in the military.

“Hadar is a soldier who went into combat and they abandoned him, and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well,” Goldin said. She said that her family often felt frustrated by the lack of support from the government in their struggle to bring back Hadar, an artist with a talent for drawing who had just become engaged.

In the 2014 war, over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, including hundreds of civilians, and widespread damage was inflicted on Gaza’s infrastructure. Another 73 people were killed on the Israeli side during 50 days of fighting.

The latest war began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and 251 people were kidnapped.

On Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 69,182. Its count – generally considered by independent experts as reliable – does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children.

Displaced Palestinians in central Gaza say they continue to rely heavily on charity kitchens for their only daily meal, as soaring market prices and the lack of income have left them struggling to afford daily living costs.

Scores of people, most of them children, lined up with empty pots at a charity kitchen in Nuseirat refugee camp on Tuesday waiting to be served rice – the only food available that day.

“The rockets and planes stopped but increasing living costs has been the hardest weapon used against us,” said Mohamed al-Naqlah, a displaced Palestinian living in Nuseirat.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed.