Leah Goldin, the mother of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin whose body has been held by Hamas in Gaza since 2014, on Tuesday called on Israeli military leaders to demand that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declare to US President Joe Biden that there will be no further ceasefires with Hamas without the return of the bodies of the soldiers held by the organization.
In an interview with Radio 103FM, Goldin said, "I did not send Hadar to Gaza, he enlisted together with his brother Tzur and, as far as I’m concerned, he never concluded his service in the IDF. It is clear to me that in the end there should be a political decision here, I have no doubt about that, but we also need to find out what our forces are doing to bring him home. The government claims it will do so, but does not.”
“The current Defense Minister is Benny Gantz, who was Chief of Staff at the time of Operation Protective Edge. The current Chief of Staff is Aviv Kochavi, who was head of military intelligence during Operation Protective Edge. They are the same people who waged the war then as commanders-in-chief and they should now call on Prime Minister Bennett and say in a loud voice that when he meets Biden, he should tell him that there is no ceasefire without the return of the boys. That's what international law says, and that's the duty of the Americans,” she continued.
Goldin added in pain, "They are playing with the blood of our children, and meanwhile everything is fine in Gaza - goods are coming in and workers are going out, while a terrorist hurts Barel Shmueli. The situation is insane. 40 Hamas terrorists are making life miserable for the residents of Gaza and for us. It is time to turn the equation around and turn the holding of soldiers from an asset to a burden."