A Hamas operative with knowledge of where the terror group was holding the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin in the Gaza Strip was captured by Israeli forces in a special operation in July, the IDF and Shin Bet reveal.
Dr. Marwan al-Hams — who is the head of the Gaza Strip’s field hospitals, a position within the Hamas-run health ministry — was nabbed by undercover Israeli forces on July 21 in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, while he was visiting a Red Cross hospital in the area.
According to the IDF and Shin Bet, al-Hams was “involved in declaring the death” of Goldin following his abduction in the 2014 Gaza War, and “is suspected of knowing where he was buried” in the major Hamas tunnel in the Rafah area.
The arrest of al-Hams was part of “dozens of covert operations” conducted over the past six months as part of efforts to return Goldin’s body for burial, the military says.
Ultimately, the IDF was unable to locate Goldin’s remains, which were returned by Hamas to Israel earlier this month.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
