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PortugueseGoldin was killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge in Rafah while searching for terror tunnels, alongside two other soldiers.
By Shula Rosen
The family of fallen Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin said this year’s Memorial Day marks the first time in eleven years they are able to experience a sense of closure, following the return of his remains from Gaza.
Goldin was killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge in Rafah while searching for terror tunnels, alongside two other soldiers. His remains were held by Hamas terrorists for years before being located and returned in November 2025.
In an interview with Kan News on Kan Reshet Bet, his sister Ayelet Goldin-Kaufman described the emotional impact of finally being able to bury him. “Most of all, I have to say that there is a feeling of great exaltation and excitement,” she said.
She said the return has reshaped how the family experiences the National Day of Remembrance. “For so many years we have been different, we would stand there on Remembrance Day and not know where my brother was… now that he is here, the intensity is strong,” she said.
“All the emotions… are mixed and very powerful,” she added, describing the range of feelings surrounding the moment.
Goldin-Kaufman said the sense of closure is still difficult to fully grasp, noting that putting the finality of his return into words remains challenging.
“Today, when he is here, we and his friends, and everyone who was part of the military, feel this sense of excitement. It really intensifies for me in terms of gratitude for good people,” she said.
She also spoke about family milestones since his return, saying she became a grandmother three months ago. The newborn is the son of her eldest child, who, like Hadar, served in the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion.
“Life goes on, and Hadar lives by our side, albeit from above. He doesn’t answer when we talk to him, but he lives with us, and he is definitely here,” she said.
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