Tens of thousands attend funeral of Israeli soldier whose remains were held in Gaza for 11 years

By SHLOMO MOR and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press KFAR SABA Israel AP Tens of thousands of people packed a cemetery in central Israel on Tuesday for the funeral of an Israeli soldier whose body had been held in Gaza for years overflowing and blocking surrounding streets as somber crowds stood with Israeli flags Israeli soldiers attend the funeral of late Israeli hostage soldier Hadar Goldin in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov who was killed in and his body returned as part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas Abir Sultan Pool Photo via AP Leah and Simcha Goldin the parents of late Israeli hostage soldier Hadar Goldin attend his funeral in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov Goldin was killed in and his body was returned as part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas Abir Sultan Pool Photo via AP Israeli soldiers attend the funeral of Hadar Goldin an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in and whose body had been held there until it was disclosed Sunday in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov Abir Sultan Pool via AP People attend the funeral of Hadar Goldin an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in whose body had been held there until it was issued Sunday in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov AP Photo Ohad Zwigenberg People mourn at the grave of Hadar Goldin an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in and whose body had been held there until it was published Sunday during his funeral in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov Abir Sultan Pool via AP IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir right with Simha Goldin and Leah Goldin the parents and siblings of Hadar Goldin an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in and whose body had been held there until it was issued Sunday attend his funeral in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov Abir Sultan Pool via AP Show Caption of Israeli soldiers attend the funeral of late Israeli hostage soldier Hadar Goldin in Kfar Saba Israel Tuesday Nov who was killed in and his body returned as part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas Abir Sultan Pool Photo via AP Expand The burial of Lt Hadar Goldin was a moment of closure for his family which has traveled the world in a constituents campaign seeking his return The huge turnout also reflected the importance of the event for the broader constituents in Israel where Goldin became a household name during the struggle to bring his remains home after days Hamas returned his remains on Sunday as part of the Trump-brokered ceasefire deal that began last month The bodies of four hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Oct which sparked the current war are still in Gaza Goldin was when he was killed two hours after a ceasefire took effect in the war between Israel and Hamas For years before the Oct attack posters with the faces of Goldin and Oron Shaul another soldier whose body was abducted in the same war stared down from intersections as their families campaigned for the return of their bodies Israel s military long ago determined that Goldin had been killed based on evidence located in the tunnel where his body was taken including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes The military retrieved Shaul s body in January Hadar we waited for you years that s a long time A very long time I honestly can t explain how we did it Goldin s mother Leah mentioned as she stood next to his grave Even though there was never any doubt that Goldin had been killed being able to reach out and touch his body absolutely allowed her to let go of her last hopes I still thought you would jump up and say Everything is fine she explained Eulogies from Goldin s siblings parents and former fianc e at his funeral never mentioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was also prime minister when Goldin was kidnapped and for greater part of the period since They continuously thanked the Israeli military including reserve soldiers who tirelessly searched for Goldin s body over the years Netanyahu did not attend the funeral though Israel s military chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir gave a eulogy on behalf of the military and Benny Gantz an opposition lawmaker who was the chief of staff during Goldin s abduction attended with former military leaders Destroy Israel from the inside For years Israel had four hostages in Gaza Goldin Shaul and two Israelis with mental strength issues who had crossed into Gaza on their own and were held since and Related Articles Top diplomats from G countries meet in Canada as contract tensions rise with Trump At present in History November Typhoid Mary dies Editorial BBC s jolly good fun against Trump stinks Trump threatens to sue BBC over edited speech that sparked resignations by news bosses Typhoon Fung-wong blows away from the Philippines leaving dead and million displaced All four have been returned from Gaza in the past year Countless who spoke at his funeral noted how with the return of Goldin s body the war had conclusively ended His parents traveled around Israel and around the world meeting with politicians and leaders and testifying at the U N in their desperate bid to retrieve his body for burial Hamas kidnapping of bodies is attempting to destroy families and destroy Israel from the inside mentioned Tzur Goldin the twin brother of Hadar He noted how plenty of hundreds of thousands of Israelis over the years had prayed for his brothers return lit candles came to protests wore t-shirts with his photo or hung up signs in advocacy His sister Ayelet called it a historic moment to absolutely be able to stand with her family and say the mourner s kaddish the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead over her brother s body and not over an empty grave Suddenly now that you re here I understand how sacred and profound it is to bring you home because this is where you belong and this is where you need to be reported Edna Sarusi Hadar s former fiancee Leah Goldin advised The Associated Press earlier this year that recovering her son s body is part of the social contract between Israel and its citizens who are required by law to serve in the military Hadar is a soldier who went into combat and they abandoned him and they destroyed his humanitarian rights and ours as well Goldin noted She stated that her family often felt frustrated by the lack of encouragement from the regime in their struggle to bring Hadar an artist with a talent for drawing who had just become engaged home for burial Hannibal directive Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Israel s initial efforts to recover Goldin in what Palestinian spectators described as heavy and indiscriminate shelling Fearing a soldier had fallen into enemy hands Israel invoked its so-called Hannibal directive a protocol that allowed the heavy use of force to prevent the capture of a comrade and Israeli forces attacked a neighborhood on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah with artillery fire tanks shells and airstrikes killing over Palestinians Palestinian residents described a terrifying ordeal as they fled their homes and searched for cover amid heavy shelling of the area Human rights groups identified people killed and accused Israel of committing war crimes by allegedly using disproportionate or indiscriminate force and failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants The directive was canceled by the military in following heavy criticism In the military introduced a revised version In the war over Palestinians were killed including hundreds of civilians and widespread damage was inflicted on Gaza s infrastructure Another people were killed on the Israeli side during days of fighting On Tuesday the Israeli military publicized it had dismantled the tunnel shaft in Rafah where Goldin s body was kidnapped Palestinians in Gaza still struggling to access food The war began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct when around people mostly civilians were killed and people were kidnapped Four bodies of hostages remain in Gaza On Tuesday Gaza s Fitness Ministry noted the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to Its count generally considered by independent experts as reliable does not distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children Displaced Palestinians in central Gaza say they continue to rely heavily on charity kitchens for their only daily meal as soaring arena prices and the lack of income have left them struggling to afford daily living costs Scores of people most of of them children lined up with empty pots at a charity kitchen in Nuseirat refugee camp on Tuesday waiting to be served rice the only food available that day The rockets and planes stopped but increasing living costs has been the hardest weapon used against us revealed Mohamed al-Naqlah a displaced Palestinian living in Nuseirat Lidman released from Tel Aviv Israel Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed