IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir delivered a firm message to the political echelon on the terrorists still in the Rafah area, saying: “No militant may be allowed to leave alive-unless the body of Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory, is returned.”
Zamir’s unusually explicit statement came amid reports that Israel was considering allowing terrorists to move into Hamas-controlled territory in exchange for their disarmament. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a decision not to permit the militants’ departure after heavy pressure from right-wing figures.
In recent days Zamir reiterated his position to decision-makers, saying he will not allow militants from Rafah to be released unless the return of the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin-who fell in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and whose body remains held by Hamas- is guaranteed.
In response to the Chief of Staff’s remarks, Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X: “Hamas must be destroyed and all our fallen must be buried in the Land of Israel.”