Mother of fallen soldier held in Gaza slams PM for ‘five years of doing nothing’

Leah Goldin, the mother of fallen IDF soldier Hadar Goldin whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, walks out of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight, reportedly in tears.

“Why did you suddenly remember us now, after five years of doing nothing?” Goldin berates Netanyahu at the meeting, in comments reported by Channel 12 news.

Netanyahu reportedly urges the families to travel to the UN to testify against Hamas.

“We don’t need to go to New York, as you suggested,” Goldin is quoted as saying. “We’ve already done that ourselves two years ago, and very successfully.”

Netanyahu met tonight with the families of deceased IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul and of Israeli civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed. Goldin and Shaul were snatched by Hamas in the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge. Mengistu and al-Sayed both crossed into Gaza of their own accord in 2014 and 2015, respectively, with their families saying they suffer from mental illness.

The families of those held in Gaza have in the past accused the government of not doing enough to secure the release of their loved ones or bring their remains home.

Netanyahu’s office says in response that the prime minister is “continuing to work in every way possible” to return the captives and fallen soldiers’ bodies home, saying he invited the families to his office today to discuss a proposal for a new discussion at the UN, to be led by the US.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu understands the pain of the families and will continue to do everything possible to bring the boys home,” his office says.