After his remains were returned earlier today for proper burial following more than 11 years in Hamas captivity on Sunday, the family of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, may his memory be a blessing, delivered their first statement to the media from their home in Kfar Saba.
“Eleven years ago, we stood here in August after Hadar was taken from us, and we cried out that we must not leave Gaza without bringing Hadar back. We took it for granted that the State of Israel would not leave soldiers behind. It took us 11 years to bring him home through the IDF and security forces," Hadar's mother, Leah, stated.
She continued: "The first value is friendship and comradeship, the second is burial in Israel, and the third is human dignity. These are the values we fought for. Sadly, we faced many disappointments. We cannot give up on who we are, and we will prevail through our values. I hope Hadar will continue to be the symbol he has been until now. I’m not just fighting for Hadar-I’m fighting for the next hostage. And if October 7th didn’t become a wake-up call for everyone in the State of Israel, it’s time for you to look at us and let us explain why it’s important and imperative to fight for our children. Thank you for walking with us all the way.”
Simcha Goldin, Hadar's father, added: "We brought Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, our son, a fighter, to be buried in Israel. We achieved this because our soldiers fought to bring warriors back from the battlefield. The IDF brought Hadar back to his homeland-no one else. So we hold fast to these values: that we don’t abandon soldiers on the battlefield, because this is a value, and we don’t compromise on values. And what this war has proven is that when we fight for our soldiers, we succeed. Victory means bringing home the hostages and bringing home our soldiers to Israel.”