Soldier who chased kidnappers of Hadar Goldin into tunnel recounts harrowing moments after abduction

The IDF soldier, Lt. Eitan, who on August 1, chased the Hamas men who snatched 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin into a tunnel after an attack that also killed Maj. Benaya Sarel and First Sgt. Liel Gidoni, recounts the harrowing moments he realized a soldier has been taken.

“I have never experienced anything so difficult,” Lt. Eitan says in an account of that morning’s tragic events on the IDF blog.

The soldiers were taking turns sleeping in the Rafah area in the southern Gaz Strip after 24 hours of inspecting homes for terror activity, taking advantage of a tense calm following a temporary US- and UN-brokered ceasefire that has gone into effect at 8:00am that morning and was supposed to last 72 hours.

According to the military, about an hour and a half after the truce began, Hamas men attacked the troops, violating the ceasefire.

Lt. Eitan says the sound of an explosion resonated through the area, followed by some confusion as to what had just occurred.

“When I arrived [on the scene], I saw two of our soldiers being taken into a house,” he says. “It was the same moment that we were told that we had found a tunnel opening at the location. Fearing a possible explosion, I ordered everyone to get away.”

“No one really knew what had happened but suddenly someone shouted: ‘Goldin’s gone, Goldin’s disappeared!’ We quickly started counting soldiers and everyone was present except one: Goldin was missing.”

Lt. Eitan says he received a call from the Col. Ofer Vinter, the Givati brigade commander and told him he was going to look for Goldin.

“I went four meters down into the tunnel when it began to collapse. I could hardly see anything; sand and stones were obscuring the light. I returned to the surface, took my equipment, my helmet and gun, and went back into the tunnel with my soldiers.”

Lt. Eitan says he went back into the tunnel with a group, warning them of the dangers it could be booby-trapped.

“There, I saw Hadar’s blood and his equipment,” he says. He also says he saw bags filled with explosives, weapons and entrances to other tunnels

Lt. Eitan says he wanted to reach the end of the tunnel but realized that it was too dangerous.

“I turned around and said to my commander ‘Count how long I’m here. I will run as fast as possible to reach the tunnel’s entrance. During this time, call the other soldiers into the tunnel. If I’m not back in 5 minutes – I’m dead’.”

He reemerged from the tunnel and was given the order to search the Rafah area for Goldin and military air strikes began, lasting almost 24 hours.

Hamas insisted it had no information about Goldin and claimed to have lost contact with its fighters involved in the attack.

On August 3, a special IDF committee concluded that Goldin was killed in action. His funeral was held in Kfar Saba the next day.