Operation Guardian of the Walls has not included a ground invasion of Gaza so far, but two IDF soldiers are already in the hands of Hamas – the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, captured seven years ago.
Speaking on Radio 103FM on Tuesday, Hadar’s mother Leah Goldin insisted that any ceasefire agreement reached with the Hamas terrorist organization should include the return of the bodies of her son and his fellow soldier Oron.
Stressing that now is an opportune time for making this demand, Goldin said, “The current situation isn’t one of random violence or threats. This is a war, one that was forced upon us, and even if we stop firing, they continue. We are in the midst of a situation we didn’t create – and they’re talking about a ceasefire! And you know that Hadar was captured during what they then called a ceasefire,” she noted.
Goldin added that, “This isn’t something personal. I wasn’t the one to send Hadar into Gaza. The IDF has to insist [on a comprehensive operation], and stop messing around. There are forty thousand thugs in Gaza and we need to eliminate them.”
Leah Goldin also revealed that the defense establishment has failed to keep in contact with her over the years, and that her attempts to make contact with the Prime Minister’s Office have raised eyebrows and met with little understanding. “People should stop telling me that it’s a matter for diplomacy, that it’s a state matter,” she said. “They’ve been shelling the south for seven years, firing missiles and saying that it’s just lightning storms. But I’m not afraid of anything – and they shouldn’t be afraid either. We are going to win – we are more powerful than they are, and we need to demand the bodies of our soldiers.”
Goldin concluded with a request that her listeners take her and her message seriously, and that the issue of the two captive soldiers remain firmly on the agenda. Responding to the suggestion of her interviewer that the matter would not be a priority for the government, she said, “We are working on the assumption that it will be and that our sons will come back. I’m fed up with the demonization. This type of talk is killing us.”