IDF chief at Hadar Goldin’s funeral: With fallen soldier’s return, 2014 war has come to an end

Speaking at the funeral of Lt. Hadar Goldin, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the 2014 Gaza War has ended with the return of the officer’s body, 11 years after his killing and abduction by Hamas.

“Fighters of the Givati Brigade, comrades of Goldin, you fought alongside him in Operation Protective Edge. You enlisted and fought in the current campaign with bravery. For you, for the entire IDF, and for the country, things have come full circle. Operation Protective Edge has ended,” Zamir says.

“Today we accompany Hadar on his final journey, which he has long deserved, after a period in which you, dear family, have become a compass and a conscience for the entire people of Israel, a compass that we in the IDF will continue to carry forever,” he says.

Zamir says that the IDF, like Goldin’s family, “never gave up for a moment” on trying to return his body. “The return of Hadar is thanks to the operational strength of the IDF and its achievements throughout the campaign,” he adds.