Israeli soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin was killed in Gaza on Friday morning, the IDF’s Chief Rabbi Rafi Peretz and other officials told his family late Saturday night.
The family said it accepted the news with deep sorrow. Goldin is officially listed as a fallen IDF soldier whose burial place is unknown.
2nd Lt. Goldin, 23, is one of four children, and was raised for part of his childhood in England while his parents taught at Cambridge University. He got engaged just weeks before Operation Protective Edge sent him to the Gaza Strip.
Goldin’s family also comprises his mother Hedva, his father Simha, his twin Tzur and his siblings Ayelet and Menahem.
Goldin’s family is reportedly distantly related to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. The family, who are modern Orthodox, raised Goldin to love his people and his country, as he told Israel National News in an October 2013 interview upon finishing his officer’s training — which he completed along with twin brother, Tzur.
“In life, you can choose to do things for yourself and you can choose to do great things,” Hadar said of his motivation to become an officer.
He added that both his grandfathers were Holocaust survivors who participated in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.
According to Israel Radio, Goldin, an officer in the Givati Brigade, was part of a group of soldiers who had found a Hamas tunnel in a rural area near Rafah overnight Thursday-Friday, and they were working on decommissioning it when they were attacked on Friday morning.
Goldin’s group was targeted, and two other soldiers close to him, Benaya Sarel and Liel Gidoni, were killed in an explosion, apparently detonated by a Hamas suicide bomber.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
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Yoav Zitun – YNet
An IDF soldier is feared kidnapped by Hamas, the IDF said Friday, with a senior official blaming Hamas for using the ceasefire to take a soldier hostage. Two other soldiers were killed in the incident.
It was cleared for publication that Givati Battalion Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin (23) from Kfar Saba was missing and feared to have been abducted Friday morning during clashes in the Gaza Strip near Rafah.
According to an announcement by the IDF, at 9:30 am Friday, terrorists opened fire at IDF forces in southern Gaza. Initial information from the scene indicated that there is a chance that an IDF soldiers was kidnapped during the incident.
The event is still ongoing, the IDF said, and forces are working with military intelligence to find the soldier.
“(Israeli) forces operating to decommission an (infiltration) tunnel were attacked. Initial indications are that a soldier has been abducted by terrorists during the operation,” the spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said in a conference call with journalists.
Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook said Friday that Israel had officially informed the UN that an IDF soldier may be missing in the Gaza Strip in the area of Rafah.
According to Abu Marzook, “The UN informed Egypt because they are the broker (of ceasefire efforts).”
Speaking with Ynet, a senior IDF source said that the possible kidnapping of an IDF soldier was carried out in a skirmish near a smuggling tunnel and was aided by a suicide bomber. According to him, a terrorists appeared while forces were searching for tunnels, one of them then blew himself up, during which time others kidnapped the solider.
“I can confirm that at 9:30 Hamas broke the ceasefire and that there is a growing fear that a soldier has been kidnapped,” a senior IDF source told Ynet, adding the incident took place while forces were searching for tunnels, a right Israel maintained as part of the ceasefire agreement.
“His family has been informed and massive clashes are still underway. Numerous terrorists have been killed.”
The lull was seemingly first broken by terror factions in Gaza who fired a mortar at Israel at roughly 10 am Friday morning. The mortar, which was followed by another shortly after, failed to land in Israel, falling in Gaza territory. Meanwhile, massive clashes and fire were reported from Gaza which left at least 40 dead.
End of ceasefire
The IDF also said on Friday that a Gaza ceasefire that went into effect earlier on Friday is now over and military operations were in progress on the ground.
Asked during a media conference call if the ceasefire was over, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said: “Yes. We are continuing our activities on the ground.”
His comments followed reports that 40 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli shelling and Israel had accused Gaza militants of violating the US- and UN-brokered truce by firing rockets and mortars.
An official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip had “flagrantly violated the ceasefire”. But the official did say whether or not he was referring to the 10am mortar fire. It now seems the reason was the alleged kidnapping.
Tunnels have been at the heart of Israel’s Gaza offensive, and were one of the central stumbling blocks to a ceasefire, with Israel demanding forces remain in Gaza to take out the tunnel system which threatens Israel’s southern communities and army bases.
Under the ceasefire, troops on the ground in Gaza were to continue to destroy tunnels along the heavily guarded frontier, but only those that are behind Israeli defensive lines and lead into Israel.
The IDF claim that Hamas broke the ceasefire after attacking soldiers working on the tunnels, as stipulated by the agreement, while Hamas says the attack took place before the ceasefire came into place.
Though the ceasefire deal allows forces to remain on the ground it was far from certain Hamas accepted they would be allowed to use explosives to demolish the tunnels, thus explaining the mutual accusations regarding the breach in the ceasefire.
At least four short humanitarian cease-fires have been announced since the conflict began, but each has been broken within a few hours by renewed fighting. Friday’s temporary cease-fire was the longest to be announced thus far.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Thursday that Operation Protective Edge will continue until the last tunnel connecting Gaza to Israel will be destroyed.
Similar comments were made earlier by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said “We have neutralized dozens of terror tunnels and we are committed to complete this mission, with or without a cease-fire.
As the extent of the tunnel warren and the lethal threat it poses became known, accusations were leveled against the government and military, which warned about the phenomenon years ago but apparently did not prepare adequate counter-measures.
CNN is anti Israel and sadly most of the us and international media is. The british media is probably the worst
CNN keeps on showing pictures of the kids and women getting killed in gaza, but they never tell the public that Hamas is using the civilians as human shields
Oy! Moshiach NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ad Mosai
Please post name and address of that store
moshiach now this second !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we can’t wait any longer
the little corner stores owned by non jews some are arabs ,one crown heighters went into the store to purchase an item and the owner said I see they did not finish you off. do not support them pay more and support your own. they hate us .
The point is that the U.S govt ( obama and kerry) should show thei suppirt their ally Israel unconditionally, but Kerry and Obama arent helping at all, just making things worse.
This CNN broadcast does not mention the two soldiers killed during the ceasefire nor the soldier kidnapped. How about that?
The fact is that it’s ISRAEL that makes the decision whether or not to cave in to pressure from America and the UN. If there was only a little more bitachon there, they would stop putting the soldiers at risk by thinking they have to protect and please all their enemies.
During the ‘ceasefire’. But I bet the world won’t get to hear about that either.
The Rebbe said the way to add simcha now during the nine days is siyumim. EVERYONE MUST either listen or make a siyum every single day of the nine days including Shabbbos. This is not to eat meat. This is the only way to add simchah in the nine days. One of the things simcha means is no more hurt (or worse) soldiers. Please
Israel will be blamed and vilified anyway -just do what needs to be done fore the sake of peace and security!!!
You are mistaking!
The attack happen an hour and a half after the so called cease-fire took effect
your statement is exactly what the Chamas is claiming falsely to deflect world criticism
was about to get married in 2 weeks!!! How sad!!! This all has to stop, too many soldiers dying!!!!
Our soldiers need our help!! Do everything you can possible, tehillim, extra learning, anything will benefit the safety of these soldiers. Too many soldiers are dying! We need to increase our deeds!
Hamas took advantage of the “cease fire”
Kerry is nuts!!!
BS”D
like a newspaper editorial stated- better their condemnations than their condolences
wipe these animals (and that’s an insult to an animal ) off the map
are the most anti semitic pple in tgw white house. Kerry is nuts he thinks you could bring a ” cease fire” with Hamas ..thats laughable!!! you cant negotiate witb terorists!!!!!
Shame on you.
Fooled me 7 times, that’s just Israel, the UN, and John Kerry.
What’s the name of the boy? WE NEED MOSHIACH NOW!!!
Why does Israel have to always sound so cowardly? Why does this Israeli reporter have to explain why the Israelis had to defend themselves during the ceasefire??? Get real!
Let Israel stand so strong and wipe out GAZA completely and with pure strength without always caring for U.S. and the rest of the world. Anyways they are all screaming ranting and blaming Israel! Take advantage fast Israel!
Don’t we see time and time again as soon as there is a ceasefire R”l there are tragedies. Didn’t The Rebbe Say Not to Stop? Why are we listening to the UN? Obama? Kerry ?Is this what they want?
Hashem have Rachmonus on this kidnapped “CHOSSON” and reunite him with his KALLAH!
Let the Tehillim flow neshek Tefilin ….with all hearts.
Moshiach now!
For those who think that a holocausts can’t happen again, we are seeing it in front fo our eyes.
Those of us that are NOT part of the “physical” Military MUST go out and put on Tefillin with people, get women to light Shabbos Candles, and all the Rebbe’s Mivtozim NOW!
It’s Shabbos Chazoin! We must bring that vision to the world! NOW!
Gut Shabbos!
MOSHIACH NOW!!
AD MOSAI!
Hamas blatantly breaks every cease fire and all the mainstream media reports is how Israel continues firing at Gaza. Its unreal whats going on!
dogs, barbaric ratzchanim. should be wiped off the face of this earth…
The kidnapping happened 1 1/2 hr before cease-fire came into effect.