IDF says Hamas held Goldin’s remains in a Rafah tunnel — Jerusalem Post
The Israel Defense Forces released new details about operations to recover the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on August 1, 2014. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli military said that Goldin’s remains had been held in an underground network in southern Rafah in the years before their return.
The soldier’s remains were returned to Israel on November 9, 2025, and he was buried two days later. According to the IDF’s assessment, efforts to recover Goldin lasted for more than a decade and intensified during the war.
Tunnel beneath a residential area
According to the Israeli military, the route was more than 10 kilometers long and consisted of three levels, the deepest of which ran at a depth of 30 meters. It passed beneath a densely built-up residential area near the Philadelphi Corridor, including beneath a UNRWA complex, mosques, clinics, kindergartens and schools.
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Inside the network, the military found about 80 rooms, including command rooms, according to the IDF. The Israeli army said that senior Hamas commanders used them to store weapons, stay for extended periods and plan attacks on Israeli forces. Among them, the military named Mohammed Shabana, the Hamas brigade commander in Rafah.
Search and sealing
In July 2025, during an operation by Southern Command, Shin Bet and military intelligence, Israeli forces detained Hamas member Marwan al-Hams. He was suspected of knowing the location of Goldin’s burial in the “Dror Lavan” tunnel in Rafah.
At the end of June 2026, Yahalom and Shayetet 13 units completed the sealing of the route. In describing this operation, the IDF reported that the route was more than 16 kilometers long and that more than 30,000 cubic meters of concrete were used to seal it. In November 2025, the Israeli military also destroyed the shaft through which, according to its data, Goldin was abducted 11 years earlier.
