‘A warrior who became a legend’: Politicians hail return of Hadar Goldin

Politicians from across the political spectrum welcome the return of the body of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin to Israel more than 11 years after he was killed and abducted by the Hamas terror group.

“After more than a decade of anticipation and waiting, Hadar has returned to eternal rest in an Israeli grave,” posts Defense Minister Israel Katz on X, calling the return of Goldin, who fell during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, “a moment of deep pain but also of great comfort and closure.”

His return is also welcomed by former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who notes the Goldin family’s “unrelenting struggle” to bring him home over the past 11 years.

“The people of Israel bow their heads and embrace the Goldin family with love in this deeply emotional moment,” says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. “Hadar gave his life for the people of Israel, and in his life and death he embodied supreme heroism.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says that his heart goes out to the entire Goldin family and that “only now, will Hadar find a proper rest.”

Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman promises that “we will do everything so that all our sons return home,” while The Democrats party chief Yair Golan says that, as a senior IDF officer at the time of Goldin’s kidnapping, “we swore not to stop until his body was returned.”

“Today is a significant day for the Goldin family and for the entire people of Israel — the return of the last fallen soldier from Operation Protective Edge — but the struggle is not over; four fallen hostages are still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip — we will continue to do everything, we will continue to fight, until the last hostage,” says Golan.

“Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory, is home. A whole nation yearned and prayed for more than 11 years for the moment when we could write these words,” tweets former prime minister Naftali Bennett, arguing that the struggle to bring Goldin home “became a moral symbol that highlights a fundamental value in the people of Israel: we don’t leave anyone behind.”

“Hadar Goldin will be remembered in the history of Israel as a warrior who became a legend in his life and a symbol in his death,” writes Bennett.

Posting in English on X, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel calls Goldin “a brave warrior” who “became a national symbol of devotion, courage, and faith.”

“Today, the entire nation stands united with the Goldin family and with all the families of the fallen and the hostages. We will continue to fight until every one of them returns — because this is our moral and national duty,” she writes.